A New Beginning
by MaximumRider99
Summary: Max Ride, 17, and Fang Walker, 18, are both high school students who ran away from their abusive foster parents. After an unlikely meeting between the two, will they manage to stay hidden from the police? While traveling together, how will they handle the inevitable romance developing? Fax. No wings.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. James Patterson does.**

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**Max's POV**

I ran down the street, gasping for breath, as I recalled today's events.

This morning, I made my decision. I couldn't take this anymore. This was it. I was running away, and not looking back.

I came from an abusive foster home. My adoptive parents, Jeb Ride and Valencia Martinez, treated me like crap. Every time they saw me, one of them would yell at me for being incompetent. I learned to ignore it, but every scolding saw my confidence slowly wear away. Every time I made a mistake, even as small as putting my cup down too hard, Jeb would hit me or throw something at me. Thankfully, he was weak and usually drunk, so I could defend myself, but it still sucked. Badly.

Every day, as far back as I can remember, Jeb would come home with an empty bottle in his hand. Valencia always told me that they didn't have enough money to give me proper food, but I knew better. They treated Total, their dog, better than me. If she was trying to successfully lie to me, maybe she should have told Jeb to not come stumbling through the door every day with a bottle of wine. It was almost funny how naïve my parents thought I was.

We lived in a townhouse in Tucson, Arizona. I went to school there, but the kids bullied me constantly. The girls laughed at my ripped-up clothing, and the boys called me a freak. A few boys were nice to me, but all they wanted was my body. They tried cornering me, threatening me, and even tried to assault me, but I was too strong for them. I was a born fighter. I didn't back down. Every boy who tried anything on me ended up with a black eye and at least two broken bones.

I was put under foster care since my parents couldn't afford a child. According to what I was told, my real mom was a teenage crack addict and my dad was a delinquent college student. They were always labeled as troublemakers wherever they went.

The only bright spot in my life was Total. He was my only friend, my companion through my abuse, and my shoulder to cry on. Even though he was a dog, my black, furry, Scottish Terrier was a better friend than anyone at my school.

After seventeen years of my living hell, I decided to begin again.

I was born destined to be fast, but I had really taken my speed to the next level during the last ten years. Every day after school, I ran as far as I could and back. It was tiring, but it was the one thing that gave me hope of a better life. I saw cities miles away from where I lived full of happy people living normal lives. I always had to return to my house afterwards, or my parents would call the police, they told me.

One day, when I was coming downstairs for 'dinner', Jeb threw his bottle at me. That was the last straw. I let go of everything holding me back. I ran upstairs, intense anger filling my mind. That was it. Tomorrow, I'd be leaving to never return.

The next day, I went on my daily run, but this time, I didn't turn around. I kept going, forgetting all my problems. With the wind in my face, my hair flying behind me, and air rushing by my ears, it almost felt like I was flying. Flying had always been my dream. Thinking about it almost made me forget my hellish life.

Seven hours and who-knows-how-many miles later, I collapsed on the sidewalk, completely exhausted.

I couldn't run any farther today. Tomorrow morning, I could ask someone where I was. I had to be careful, because the police would be after me. As far as food and water went, I could dumpster-dive for food and ask restaurants for water.

However, I still needed a place to sleep tonight. I looked around the suburban cul-de-sac, searching for anything that could hide me. After a few minutes, I noticed a manhole in the asphalt. I lifted it, looking for a way down. Conveniently, there was a ladder leading to a platform. This was perfect!

As I descended the rusty ladder, ignoring the rotten sewer stench, I heard a squishing noise below me. I froze.

"Who are you?" a voice whispered.

I was petrified. Who would be in a sewer?

"M-my name is Max Ride," I managed.

A figure appeared below me. I hastily climbed back onto the street as it began to scale the ladder.

Moments later, a tall, dark-haired boy appeared beside me, covered in sewage from the knees down. He seemed about my age and was wearing a black, leather jacket and black jeans. The kids in my class would've definitely labeled him as 'emo'. He had black hair and dark brown eyes. He actually seemed kind of attractive.

"Fang Walker," he said, holding out his hand. I stared at it until he dropped it.

"What are you doing inside of a sewer?"

"My parents abused me. I ran away," he explained. "I needed a place to sleep."

I looked at him, my mouth hanging open.

"Same."

He raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

I nodded.

After a long, awkward silence, I asked him, "So, where do you come from?"

"Phoenix. You?" He really had a knack for those one word sentences.

"Tucson. I ran away this morning. I've only waited until now because my foster parents threatened to call the police."

He nodded, "I've been gone 3 weeks. My parents would never bother looking for me. I stayed to protect my little sister, Angel. She's 10 now, so I think she can fend for herself. Trust me; she's the strongest little kid out there." I didn't know he was physically capable of saying something that long.

"Did you have any friends back in Phoenix?"

"Yeah. My best friend was this guy named Iggy. He had a little brother, Gazzy. Iggy's girlfriend, Ella, was also one of my good friends. She has a teenage sister named Nudge."

Wow. He left quite a few people behind.

"Do they know that you left?"

Fang nodded, "I told them to just go on as if they never met me. They wouldn't listen to me, but they couldn't stop me from leaving. Right before I ran away, Ella gave me her phone number in case I needed something."

I let that sink in. It was great that he had some backup. All I had was a dog.

After a minute of silence, Fang suddenly spoke up, "I was thinking…" his voice trailed off. He cleared his throat. "Since we're both on the run with nothing to lose, what do you think of traveling together? We'll have a better chance of surviving and staying hidden. "

Well, I wasn't expecting that. He seemed nice, and I had nothing to lose…

"That's a deal, travel partner," I said, holding out my hand. Did I really just agree to join someone I just met? Oh, well. I could take him in a fight without breaking a sweat if he attacked me.

He looked at it, surprised, and then shook it. "Cool. Listen, I have some money saved up from working at the coffee shop back in Phoenix. We can get some basic supplies tomorrow in town."

Phoenix? That was what, 100 miles from here? He must have been on the run for a few weeks.

I shook my head. "The police are looking for me. I can't go into town."

He nodded understandingly, "I'll go, then. Nobody's after me."

For the first time in my life, I felt a spark of hope. I had a friend for once, and together we would be able to take on anything the world threw at us.

We descended back into the nasty sewer, but I felt great. Fang was the first person I've ever seen someone who could learn to truly understand me. We only talked for a few minutes, but I had a gut feeling we would be good friends.

With Fang lying next to me, I fell asleep, with the first true smile I've smiled in my life on my face.

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**How was it? Comments, suggestions, criticism, etc. welcome. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody! I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter! I wasn't expecting as many as I got.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

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**Fang's POV**

I woke up in a sewer. What the hell was I doing here? Then I remembered. I met a girl about my age yesterday.

She introduced herself as Max Ride. Apparently, she ran away from her abusive foster parents like me. That immediately got my attention. It had been a tough three weeks running from Phoenix. I had always felt like I was missing something. I had dumpster-dived at least ten times since I left. I wasn't sure how much longer I could last on my own.

Then I met Max.

Just when thoughts of suicide started to enter my mind, Max showed up. Looking back, I knew exactly what I was missing: a friend. Max was just what the doctor ordered. I asked her to travel with me, and thankfully she accepted. I simply nodded on the outside, but I felt a new door to opportunity open inside of me.

Just by looking at her, I knew we would be good friends. Over the past few years, I had really learned to read people's emotions and personalities well. I recognized her rebel attitude right away as soon as she fixed me with a hard stare as I climbed out of the sewer.

I slowly sat up, careful not to touch the black, grimy walls. The putrid scent of dead, rotting animals stung my nostrils as I looked around for Max.

I sat up and looked around, daylight streaming through the center of the manhole. Max was lying down next to me, still asleep.

I sat down by her side and tried to think of a plan for today. So far, I knew that I was going to go to town, get supplies (haven't decided what supplies yet), and return to Max. Then, we would continue running.

I hoped she could run for long periods of time, because I was itching to leave Arizona. Fast.

Next to me, Max stirred in her sleep. A minute later, she groaned and rubbed her eyes. There was a tear tracing her cheek.

She looked up at me and slowly sat up. I offered her a hand, but she ignored it and got up on her own.

Unlike me, she didn't seem surprised about having the first sight in the morning be the ceiling of a sewer even though this was her second day away from home. Even after seven times, I hadn't gotten used to it.

"Mornin', Max." She nodded, still groggy. My voice echoed through the sewer system.

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?"

She shook her head. "I had a nightmare about being sent back home and getting beaten by my dad. I have nightmares all the time, but this one was different. It felt so….real. I was sure that I was there." She looked down.

I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, "Hey. You're gonna be fine. I won't let the police take you back home. We're a team now," I said in my most comforting tone. I hoped I didn't make her mad. I was no good at comforting people. It felt especially awkward comforting someone I met yesterday, but Max wasn't just another person. Something about her made me click. I'd grown up suspicious of other people, but Max passed right through my defenses. It felt almost like we were destined to meet.

To my surprise, she looked up at me gratefully, a faint smile on her lips, "Thanks, Fang."

I smiled, "Any time. So, whaddya think about getting out of here?"

"After you," she said, motioning to the ladder with her hand.

I slowly ascended the ladder, careful not to kick any dirt on Max.

When we got out, I immediately felt a sense of freedom. I hadn't realized how cramped and uncomfortable the sewer was.

After spending a night in a sewer, the sunlight was blinding. I shielded my eyes and waited for my pupils to dilate. When I could see, I looked around. Fortunately, there were no people outside.

I looked over at Max. She was shading her eyes with her hand. Her long, brown hair looked almost like it was burning in the harsh sunlight.

"So, what do you need in town?" I asked.

"Well, I have a few clothes in my pack. I don't have a knife, though. I could use one," she replied.

I nodded. "I can get you one. Anything else?"

"Well," she paused, "I could use a pen and journal."

I grinned, "Keeping a diary, Maxie?"

"None of your business, Fangles." She playfully glared at me, a smile beginning to form on her face.

"All right, I'll get it."

"Thanks, Fangles."

"Don't call me that," I said, as I glared at her. I ignored her the first time she called me that, because I called her Maxie. This time, she had no excuse.

"Fine. I'll see you back here when you're done?"

I shook my head. "Town is too far. You can come with me until we're a mile away. Then, we'll find a meeting place there."

"Sounds like a plan."

We stood up and walked to the road.

"Hey, Max? Do you run?"

She smirked, "Race ya!"

"It's on!"

We both took of sprinting next to the road. Man, she was fast! After ten minutes, she was still toe-to-toe with me. How was this possible? I was the fastest runner back at school.

After an hour of running, my legs finally gave way. I collapsed on the grass, my backpack falling to the ground. Max stood over me, smirking.

"A little tired, Fangy?" she asked. She wasn't even winded. I couldn't believe it.

"Shut up. Where'd you learn to run so fast?"

"Oh, I run miles every day after school. Running is the one thing that makes me feel free, and it sort of feels like I'm flying. My biggest wish, besides a real family, is to fly," she said, wistfully.

I could definitely relate. Flying had always sounded cool. At least, I thought it was better than invisibility, super speed, or any other typical superpowers.

"Yeah. Me too, actually."

I knew better than to ask for a hand up. She'd probably grab it and judo-flip me over her.

I struggled to my feet, my legs burning. "So, I'll be off now. Where do you want to wait?"

Max looked around us. There was nothing much to see. We were in right next to a country road, with green grass stretching for miles in every direction. The one exception was the small town about a mile to my left.

Max's gaze finally settled on a tall oak tree a few hundred feet from the road.

She looked at me, "I'll wait in that tree. Don't be too long."

"You got it."

I started walking towards the town in the distance. I had to move slowly, but I could get there in an hour, if not sooner.

I looked back at Max. She gave me a grin and a thumbs-up. For some reason, the simple gesture made me feel a spark of happiness inside.

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Forty-five minutes later, I practically limped into the town. I read the sign on the way; it read "Welcome to Oro Valley, Arizona". Oro Valley translated to Gold Valley. So far, things were looking good.

We didn't need many supplies, so I was hoping the general store would have everything.

Thankfully, I was able to quickly grab two Nalgene bottles, two Swiss Army knives, and the pen and journal Max wanted.

As I made my way over to the counter, the cashier looked me up and down. His fierce, grey eyes and perfectly trimmed beard didn't belong in a rural setting like this.

"You been rollin' in the mud, kid?" That comment shocked me. He looked more like a CEO than a redneck.

"Uh, sure," I responded, as if he asked a normal question. I handed him the merchandise.

Fortunately, he scanned and bagged everything without question. He was starting to creep me out.

I was in and out of the store within five minutes. That was good, because the sun was already starting to set. I didn't want to be caught limping in the middle of nowhere at night. I could defend myself, but things could get messy if my legs didn't respond.

On my way back to Max, I was luckily able to lightly jog. My legs had recharged since the run.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard Max's voice. Unfortunately, it wasn't directed at me.

"I didn't know it was yours!" she yelled at an angry-looking farmer.

"Ye city gals think ya can jus' sit in a'ones trees?" he responded, fuming.

Max caught a glimpse of me and replied,"Yeah, pretty much. If you don't mind, I'll be going now."

She took off running. I did my best to jog after her. Still, she was getting farther and farther away by the second. I couldn't keep her in sight for long.

Thankfully, once she lost the farmer, she stopped and turned around. After a few minutes, I caught up with her, breathless. We sat on the grass and I emptied the bag of supplies.

"Of all colors, purple? Really, Fang?" she said, as she picked up the purple water bottle.

"Nah, the blue one's yours," I replied. We're on the run, and she cares about the color of her water bottle?

"Thought so," she said with a smirk.

Meanwhile, the sun had completely set. In the country, there was little light pollution obscuring our view of the stars.

"They're beautiful," I said, softly.

"What?" Max asked, turning towards me. She noticed where I was looking, "Oh." She followed my gaze and smiled.

I learned to spot constellations, and could see many of them tonight. Back at home, Angel and I used to lie on the roof at night sometimes as a way to escape from reality for a while. Angel's friend gave her a book on how to spot constellations, and we brought it with us to the roof every time. When Angel first showed it to me, I wasn't interested, but it all changed after the first time we hit the roof. I fell in love with star searching and soon made it a hobby. It made me feel like I was a star myself, shining down on the world. Plus, it was a good way to spend unblemished time with my sister. I loved her more than anything. If it weren't for her, I'd have run away years ago.

Tonight, with a good view, I could recognize at least twenty constellations across the night sky. I saw Canis Major right above me, the Big Dipper twenty degrees right and thirty degrees up, and Orion behind me, shining brighter than the rest.

Suddenly, a blaze of light ripped across the sky. It could only be one thing: a shooting star.

"Make a wish!" Max whispered.

I thought for a second. Then I made my decision.

_I wish for the strength to never lose hope. _

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**I hope you enjoyed it :)!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. JP does.**

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**Max's POV**

_-the best day of my life, so far._

That's how I ended my first diary entry yesterday. Honestly, I had no idea being on the run could actually be fun. Fang's witty, sarcastic comments coupled with his façade of humorlessness just made my day. He was really easy to be around, at least for me, since I was a lot like him.

Last night, we ended up falling asleep in the field while stargazing. Fang showed me a few basic constellations. I actually really enjoyed looking at them. I felt like I belonged up in the sky, shining down on the world.

I flirted with consciousness for an hour before I finally opened my eyes. Fang was sitting down several feet to my right, watching my every move. As creepy as it may sound, I didn't feel threatened in the least. Even though we only met two days ago, I felt like we'd known each other for years. Three days ago, I couldn't picture a life with a friend. Now, I couldn't imagine where I'd be without Fang.

He offered me a hand up, a slight smirk on his face. I gritted my teeth and slapped his arm. Did he really think that I couldn't get up on my own? I owned him yesterday in a race. I could've lost him within two minutes, but I wanted to make him feel like he was putting up a fight. Plus, the expression on his face when he saw that I wasn't even breathing hard at the end was priceless.

"So, what's the game plan?" I said weakly.

"I'm thinking about heading west to California. I want to leave this state. Before you woke up, I refilled our bottles and got some food," Fang said.

FOOD. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten for a full day. I grabbed my backpack. Sure enough, there was a sandwich inside. I scarfed it down in three bites.

After taking a sip of water, I stood up and stretched out. My right leg was seriously tense from lying on it all night. I nearly winced as I pulled it into a stretch too suddenly.

Five minutes later, we were on our way. Fang had a map of Arizona in his backpack, and we followed it as best as possible. Even though I could run really well, I wished we had a car to speed things up. I definitely didn't have a license, and I assumed Fang didn't either. Besides, we had no way of getting a car.

Three short hours later, we were at least thirty miles away from Gold Valley, as Fang called it. We stopped just inside a deciduous forest because Fang needed a quick break. Even though I was much more fit than him, he was seriously in shape. Besides myself, he was by far the fastest person I'd met.

This time, I didn't bother laughing at him for stopping. I'd already teased him enough yesterday. Besides, I'd be dumpster-diving right now if it weren't for Fang. I had no right to tease him. Although, he seemed to like it and actually responded to my playful bantering.

After two minutes, Fang slipped his bottle into his backpack and zipped it shut. He quickly hopped to his feet and took off without a word.

We jogged another five hours until dusk. I could have kept going, but Fang was completely drained. Much like yesterday, he collapsed on the ground, his backpack rolling off of him. It was actually pretty cute.

Wait, what? Cute?

No, Max. Fang is a FRIEND. Nothing more.

I opened his pack and offered him his nearly empty water bottle. He weakly took it from me and pressed the opening to his lips.

I looked around us. In front of us, a vast forest stretched as far as I could see. Behind the clearing we were in, there was a small lake the size of a football field. In the soft twilight, the water looked like it was glowing. Fang looked strangely peaceful next to the water.

I opened my backpack, hoping Fang got more food. Fortunately, two bagels and a packet of cream cheese sat at the bottom of the pack. Within two minutes, I had finished everything.

In front of me, Fang turned around, "Let's find a place to sleep."

Wait, he wanted a different place? I really liked it where we were now. "Um, do you mind if we stay here? I like the view of the lake."

"Of course, Max."

"Thanks, Fang," I said with a smile.

He sat down next to me. We aimlessly stared across the lake.

After a minute, Fang looked over at me, his piercing dark eyes boring holes in mine. His features were serious and unmoving, much unlike the lighthearted Fang I knew.

"Max, I don't want to ask you this, but do you mind telling me a little bit about where you came from?"

I stared blankly at him as his words washed over me. A cold hand gripped my heart, awakening painful memories I thought I had forgotten. Living with my foster parents felt like it was from a different lifetime.

"I-I-" I managed to stutter.

Fang held up his hand, "It's okay, Max. You don't have to tell me," he said, reassuringly.

I looked down. I didn't trust myself to speak without choking up. After counting to ten, I looked back at him.

"I'll tell you eventually, kay? I'm just not ready now."

"Of course, Max. Sorry I asked," he said, a brave but apologetic smile on his face.

I nodded absently. I crawled over to the lake's edge and took in the amazing scenery. The lake coupled with the towering trees surrounding it made for quite a scene. I gently put my hand in the water. A small ripple reverberated from my hand. Under the starlight, it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was like one of those scenes in a movie that was too good to be true.

Beside me, I heard a hushed noise. I quickly turned around, jumping to my feet, before realizing that it was just Fang. He had already fallen asleep and was snoring.

It was probably time I hit the sack as well. Before that, though, I took out my journal and pen and began to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_These last two days have been the best of my life. If I had known how amazing life on the run could be, I would have left years ago. If I didn't leave, I would have never met Fang. He is the single best thing that's ever happened to me. Whichever gods prescribed my cruel life at least included one bright spot. I hope he knows how much me means to me already. I've never had a shoulder to cry on, a friend to talk to, and a companion in the journey of life before. So, to whoever may be controlling my life right now, please don't take Fang away from me. It feels strange writing this about a person I met two days ago, but something's different between us. Fang is no ordinary person. It almost feels like we were destined to meet sometime. He's given me all the hope I've ever had in my life. I wished to never lose hope on the shooting star yesterday, so it will come true, right? _

_Love,_

_Max_

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	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people! Big thank you to all followers and reviewers. They mean a lot to me. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. JP does.**

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**Fang's POV**

_I was sprinting through the shadows, turning every so often to stay right next to the apartment buildings. Max was running right in front of me. _

_"GET BACK HERE!" someone yelled behind me. I paused. _

_Max tugged my sleeve urgently, her eyes panicked. "Fang, we have to go!" she whispered. I followed her as she made a quick turn around a corner, her long, brown hair flying behind her. Suddenly, Max skidded to a stop, staring straight ahead. Following her gaze, a sense of dread washed over me. We had run ourselves into a corner. Whoever was chasing us would have us cornered here. _

_"THERE SHE IS!" someone yelled. I turned around. Six policemen stood in front of us. They looked pissed. Luckily for me, I could hide in the shadows, so they wouldn't find me. I just had that ability. Max, though, would be caught easily. _

_The policemen approached Max, handcuffs in hand. She backed up unsteadily. I couldn't let Max get captured. No way. If she was getting arrested, the policemen would have to go through me first._

_I leaped out of the apartment building's shadow at the policemen. They didn't have time to look up before I kicked the one that looked like the leader in the chest. I heard a loud crack where my foot made contact on his rib cage. He staggered backwards, collapsing against a wall. I turned to face the other policemen. Max stood back-to-back with me. Suddenly, the policeman with the broken rib pulled out a gun. Without hesitating, he aimed it at me and fired. _

_Then, everything went black._

I snapped awake, clawing at the ground. Whew, that was just a nightmare. A scary one, all right.

It was still dark outside. Even though I wasn't crazy about sleeping by a lake, since I have a mild case of aquaphobia, I had to give Max some props. The full moon's light reflecting off the glittering lake _was _beautiful.

Max was still sleeping peacefully by my side. Unlike me, she seemed to be in a sleeping state of bliss. Her mouth was comfortably resting in a peaceful half-smile. Sleeping, she looked just like my sister: innocent, dreamy, and angelic.

I opened my backpack and took inventory. I had a map, an empty water bottle, a Swiss Army knife, a wad of cash, and one bagel. We needed to get to a city today. We both could live on small amounts of food, even if we ran, but water was a problem. Max hardly needed any but I needed at least one bottle a day.

Several hours after I woke up, Max began to stir. She rolled over once, edging closer to the lake. She shifted and rolled over again, only three feet from the water' edge. I walked over to her and gently rolled her back. She noticed me and snapped awake.

"What are you doing, Fang?" she muttered sleepily.

"You were about to fall in the lake. I didn't want to be running with a wet dog, so I scooted you away."

She pushed me playfully. If I had seen it coming, it wouldn't have moved me an inch. Unfortunately, I was off-balance as well as unsuspecting. I lost my footing and fell backwards. When I pushed Max away from the water, I had to put myself between her and the water in order to push her away. This meant that when I fell backwards, it was directly in the lake.

I only had time to yell, "WHAT THE FU-" before I landed in the water with a loud splash. Max's distorted laughter echoed in my ears. Even though my claustrophobia was bad, being in water was even worse. It was like being in a tiny room molded around me. I sunk several feet, flailing my arms and legs aimlessly before managing to grab onto the lake's wall.

Dripping wet, I slowly hauled myself back to the ground. My wet hair was plastered to the top of my face. I glared, unamused, at Max. Her hands were over her mouth and she was barely suppressing laughter. When I narrowed my eyes at her, it was just too much for Max to handle. She burst out laughing. I ignored her and took off my shirt, wringing it out over the water.

"Damn.." Max remarked with a small smile, looking at my six-pack.

I rolled my eyes. Girls were always fussing over me back at home. Most guys would love it, but I found it intrusive and annoying. Most of the girls who thought I was 'hot' were slutty chicks who wore as little as possible while following the dress code. Not to mention that they flashed their boobs at literally all the boys. Most of the guys were completely captivated by them. It was really disturbing. If I was like that, I'd probably have committed suicide by now. Max was the complete opposite of those girls, thankfully, even if she gawked at my abs.

I turned away from her and put my damp shirt back on. I wasn't taking off my pants in front of Max, so I just made do with wet pants and boxers.

Fifteen minutes and one shared bagel later, we were up and running. According to the map, Casa Grande was about fifty miles away. If we ran quickly, we could get there in a few hours.

Since I wasn't at Max's level when it came to speed and endurance, I needed a break after thirty miles. I sat down and leaned against a tree, trying not to show signs of exhaustion. Max knew better. She handed me her water bottle.

"Drink, Fangy." I gritted my teeth but accepted the bottle. Calling me 'Fangy' or 'Fangles' was the number one way to annoy me.

I unscrewed the top and took a sip. It was half-empty, so I tried to conserve water as well as I could. I ended up drinking the rest of the bottle. Oh, well. We were going to stop by Casa Grande in a few hours anyways.

Two hours later, we arrived in the city. This time, Max accompanied me since we were far enough away from Tucson that people hopefully wouldn't be on the lookout for her. On our way to a department store to wash up, I noticed a newspaper lying on the sidewalk. Apparently Max saw it too, because she rushed forward and picked it up. Three seconds after she picked it up, her eyes widened and she shakily handed it to me. The headline read:

**SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL REPORTED MISSING**

I grabbed it and quickly skimmed through the article. It explained a bit about where she came from. Her parents, Jeb and Valencia, seemed like world-class jerks based on their comments to the media. I was glad that Max wasn't stuck with them anymore.

Max tugged my arm, still shell-shocked. "C'mon Fang. Let's go."

I followed her but kept the newspaper in my hand. We strolled over to the biggest store we could find. We were going to wash up in the bathrooms here, since we both hadn't washed up for days.

After we cleaned ourselves up a bit, Max and I walked over to the food aisle.

"It's gotta have protein and not spoil," I said. We couldn't afford to waste money. She nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, we both filled our bottles and were leaving the store with three days worth of food in our backpacks.

We made our way out of town and continued westward. If my estimates were correct, we had another two hundred miles until we were out of Arizona. Since we could run about fifty miles a day, we could be in California in four days.

Several hours later, the sun began to set. We put down in a small forest far from away from people. I was thankful that Arizona had enough places where humans hadn't gotten around to ruining. Max immediately climbed a tree and found a cozy place to sit. I followed her up and located a thick branch several feet from her.

As I scaled the bark, I called up to her, "You sleeping up there?" She nodded in response. I wasn't so sure about this. She could easily fall off and break her arm. I had no idea how to set a broken arm, and we couldn't go to a hospital. We didn't have enough money, and Max would get turned in.

"Max, are you sure?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. I shrugged. It looked like she knew what she was doing.

I gathered a pile of leaves and made a small bed for myself. I crumpled up the newspaper I'd forgotten I was holding and used it as a pillow. Thirty minutes later, I was lying in my somewhat comfortable temporary nest.

I yawned. I didn't realize how tired I was until I stopped moving.

"G'night, Max. I'm turning in," I called up to Max.

"Good night, Fang," she said from her perch.

As soon as my head hit the leaves, I passed out. Before I fell asleep, though, I had time to think:

_Now, this is the life._

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**Hope you guys enjoyed it! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, dear readers. I hate writing this as much as you hate reading this, but I don't own MR. JP does.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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**Max's POV**

_We were cornered. This was it. In the dead silence of the night, the only sound I could hear were the footsteps of the policemen on my tail. They wouldn't be running any more, though, since I had nowhere to run. Buildings encircled me in all directions except the one that the policemen were running from._

_Worst of all, Fang was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully he was just hiding, not captured._

_As the policemen stalked towards me with handcuffs, a figure shot out of the shadows at the lead policeman. Fang's black hair stood up as he leaped at the lead policeman, planting a vicious kick in his chest. I heard a rib snap as he collapsed backwards. Fang rolled sideways and came up standing, another policeman in front of him. He backed up, nearly tripping on the slumped leader._

_That shook me. I leaped into action, guarding Fang's back. The other policemen approached unsteadily, deciding how to approach us._

_Suddenly, the policeman who Fang attacked pulled out a gun and pointed it at him._

_BOOM!_

I snapped awake, grasping the tree branch above me. I lunged forward, panicked. Suddenly, I realized I was in a tree. Fang was standing below me, shading his eyes from the sun. Before I could fall, I tightened my grip on the branch and pulled myself back to my perch.

Thank goodness, it had just been a nightmare. Fang was alive and well, and we weren't being cornered by policemen. I wrapped my arms around the tree's trunk and slowly lowered myself to the ground. Since I was still groggy, I immediately pitched forward. Fang caught me and straightened me.

"Whoa, there," Fang said. "Morning, Max," he said, looking up to me.

"Good morning, Fang," I responded with a forced half-smile. My mind was still reeling from my nightmare. Regardless of how scary it was, it presented me with a question I couldn't answer: _What would I do if Fang died?_

I couldn't go back home, no way, and I wasn't sure if I could survive alone on the run. Since my eighteenth birthday was in a couple months, maybe I could settle down, get a job, and start a life on my own. The police would have no rights to rag on me since I would be officially legal. After seventeen years of being treated like crap by my parents, my own new life sounded awfully appealing. However, I refused to picture Fang dead. 'Dead Fang' was an oxymoron in my book.

Another scenario entered my mind. _What would I do when I turn 18 if Fang is still alive?_

Maybe I could still settle down somewhere near Fang. We could still be best friends throughout adulthood. Maybe, just maybe, I could learn to love someone and get married. Despite never feeling true love in my life, I knew it was priceless. No feeling could compare to being loved, held, adored. I'd give anything to experience even one moment of pure, unblemished, true love.

"Max?" Fang whispered, frowning. His deep, brown eyes had an unusual true softness to them right now. When I first met him, I had a hard time imagining a comforting side to him. After knowing him a few days, I saw that his tough façade hid a sweet, caring person behind it.

His consolation speech to me after I blurted out my nightmare in the sewer reminded me how I lacked someone to talk to in tough times so badly. Every person needed one, and I knew I had found mine. Even after being forced to live in paranoia and distrust, I was 100 percent certain that I could trust Fang. The security and closeness in his eyes wouldn't have been so evident if his intentions were bad.

"I'm fine," I muttered absently, still lost in thought. In my life, I'd been so worried about staying sane every day. Now, I had time to think about my future. I would be an adult very soon, and I had no idea where to start my life.

Fang frowned but didn't press me. He slowly nodded and released his strong but gentle hold on me. He studied my face carefully, deciding what to say next.

"Let's get moving," Fang decided, after a significant pause, "Running always helped clear my mind."

He nailed it. Running was my one way of distracting myself from my problems. I nodded and began my pre-run stretching routine. Running fifty miles required at least five minutes of stretching, especially since we planned to run every day.

As I pulled out of my last quad stretch, I looked at Fang and started towards the clearing. He held up his hand.

"Your pack is still up there," Fang reminded me, pointing up to my branch. Wow. I was such a dumbnut. I jumped up and grabbed the branch I used to get up. As I gripped it, it bent under my weight. To my dismay, it snapped off, sending me to the ground. I tossed the branch that came off in my hands backwards in frustration. Behind me, I heard a rough _WHAP!_ succeeded by a startled _OW!_.

"Watch it, Max!" Fang growled playfully behind me, smiling. I felt relieved instantly. For a brief moment, I was afraid to see the look in his eyes after I screwed up that badly. His left arm had several scratches, but he seemed fine for the most part.

"Sorry!" I squealed instinctively. Damn! How the hell did I just squeal? The only people I knew who could utter a true, piercing squeal, were the sluts in my school after they managed to seduce another victim. They were one more thing I didn't miss from home.

Fang was smiling even wider now, trying to contain his laughter. "It's fine!" he choked out in a poor imitation of my squeal. I glared at him, but his smile only grew. He was practically grinning like the Cheshire Cat now.

I growled, "If you do that again, I'll throw another branch at you." Before he could humiliate me with a sarcastic comment, I turned around, looking for another way to lift myself up. Unfortunately, the lowest climbable branch was several inches out of my reach. I circled the tree, looking for a solution. Before I could think of one, Fang noticed my predicament and walked over.

"Here, I'll pick you up," Fang said. I gritted my teeth, hating to be the weak one, but obliged. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and lifted me a foot off the ground. For some reason, I felt strangely….safe in Fang's arms. I grabbed the branch with both hands and slowly pulled myself up. After taking a few quick leaps to higher branches, I arrived at my makeshift perch. I nimbly crawled across the branch and grabbed my blue backpack off the end of it.

Thirty seconds later, I landed on the ground next to Fang. Without a word, he flashed me a smile, turned away, and began making his way out of the forest.

I followed him into the clearing. Two steps into the grass, Fang stopped and knelt down. He took off his pack and pulled out his map of Arizona. I knelt beside him and watched him open the flaps.

"Let's see.." he mumbled, "we're a hundred forty three miles from the border to California." He traced his finger along a series of rural roads heading due east. I followed with my eyes and saw a potential problem: a city lay ahead, about seventy miles ahead of us. Fang paused as his finger arrived at the city. He looked over at me.

"Your call. Through or around?"

"Through," I said, without hesitation. We'd definitely need a restock on water there.

Fang nodded and reached into his backpack again. He pulled out an awfully small wad of cash consisting of nothing higher than tens. Fang quickly counted up the money, his fingers unnaturally flying across the bills.

"Fifty-four," he stated. I let that process. We needed way more than that to stay alive. How could we get more?

A sudden realization hit me like a cold blast of wind: we'd need to steal money. We couldn't get a job, since we were on the run. I hated, hated, and _hated _stealing, but I knew it was necessary. Needing the money more than our victims wasn't an okay justification, but it'd have to do.

I could tell Fang was thinking the same thing as I was, because he grimaced and looked down.

"I can't do it, Max," he said softly.

"We have to, Fang. We need it to survive, whereas others just use it on fancy cars and swimming pools."

"It just really bothers me, you know? We'll be taking something that someone spent time and effort earning. I guess you're right, though," he said reluctantly, looking a tad guilty.

I couldn't help but feel a little bad. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes."

Reading my expression, Fang replied, "Don't be sorry. It's inevitable."

I shrugged and stood up. Fang tucked his map in his backpack and straightened his shirt. He stood up and quickly scanned the area.

"This way," he said, pointing down the path. I followed Fang as he broke into a slow warmup jog. We rarely spoke while running since it took tremendous concentration to ration our energy to last seven hours at around seven miles per hour. We didn't run fast miles, we just ran fast enough to be able to cover fifty miles a day. At that rate, we could make good progress without burning too much energy or risking exhaustion.

Our next seven hours were uneventful as usual. The hot summer sun burned against our faces and necks as we ran. Just like our previous runs, Fang needed a break halfway through. However, I saw something in him this break that I didn't before.

_Unlike yesterday, where he slowly came to a stop, Fang fell down backwards as if he ran into an imaginary wall. _

_"Fang! Are you all right?" I yelled, turning around. My long hair hit me square in the face. I brushed it off and walked over to him._

_He nodded stiffly. "Just tired," he mumbled, scowling. _

_I reached my hand out to help him take his water bottle out of his bag. As my hand approached, Fang's hand shot out and grabbed my arm. He didn't grab me aggressively, but there was a deep and strange firmness to it. _

_"Fang, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing. I'm fine," he said, through gritted teeth. His eyes were blazing with anger, but I couldn't tell who or what it was directed at. _

_With sharp and powerful motions, Fang grabbed his water bottle out of his bag and violently unscrewed the top. I frowned. As he sipped, I realized what was up with him. He despised feeling inferior and needing someone else's help. Unfortunately, I knew the feeling all too well. _

_Fang didn't stop me as I sat down beside him and put my arm around his shoulders. Looking deeply in his eyes, I realized that another emotion was hidden behind his anger: shame. _

_"Hey, Fang. You're the best runner I've ever met. You've practically saved my life and I don't know WHERE I'd be without you. Don't get down on yourself now."_

_His scowl lessened slightly as he tried his best to calmly put the top back on his water bottle. His tightly clenched hands gave his evident frustration away. _

_I sighed. I'd speak to him about this later, in one of his prouder moments. I needed him, and the last thing I wanted Fang to do was direct his anger at me. _

_He struggled getting up and had to rely on a tree for support. I realized he was a lot more tired than he was letting on. Part of me admired his warrior mindset, but another part of me knew that his pride was a deadly flaw that could get him hurt or even killed._

When we stopped for good, about ninety miles from California, Fang immediately lay down in the grass. This time, I knew better than to try and help him. I sat down a few feet from him and pulled out my water bottle.

I could definitely last a few days on that one bottle, but Fang needed at least twice as much as I did. Next town, Fang would have to get one or two more bottles. We were running low on money, but water was a priority. If he couldn't run, we were in serious trouble. As soon as we were in California, I'd make Fang take a break day so we could just hang out. It was clear that he wanted and needed it, and I could use it too. Besides, I wanted a chance to get to know Fang a little more. I barely knew squat about his past.

As I was looking over at him, something caught my eye. I gasped. The sunset today was really beautiful. The light hues of red blended with softer oranges and yellows fit together perfectly in the sky. It was almost too amazing to be real. I let myself be consumed by the sunset and forget about my current issues.

Sometime while I was watching the sunset, something occurred to me. In my whole life, I'd never seen a proper sunset before. That thought depressed me. Even though my life was hard and I had to dig deep to find the strength to go on, that was no excuse for never seeing a sunset. In fact, I'd never seen anything really beautiful at home. On the run, with Fang, I'd already seen more breathtaking sights than I could've ever dreamed of when I was living with Jeb and Valencia.

In front of me, Fang stood up and walked over to me.

"Where to sleep?" he asked.

I looked around. We were in a large clearing with trees nearly encircling us. To my left, there was a wide storm trench. That might be a nice place to sleep.

"You see that trench over there?" I pointed to it, "We can sleep there," I suggested.

Fang nodded and walked over to it. He felt the concrete insides and walked around the grass to the left of it.

"Sounds good."

I followed him over. Fang lay down in it. He shifted uncomfortably on his back. Several seconds later, he frowned.

"Nah, it's too hard. I'll just sleep on the grass." I shrugged.

We found a nice patch of soft grass just by the forest's edge. Fang immediately set his backpack down, lay down, and conked out. Just as I set my pack down, I heard my stomach rumble. I unzipped my backpack and rifled through it.

"Please, please have food," I muttered softly. Thankfully, we had a can of beans handy. Oh yeah, we just restocked yesterday. We still had a ton of food. At least by our standards.

After inhaling the beans, I set the can back in the backpack and pulled out my diary. I grabbed my pen and began to write. Unlike my last entry, this one was short and sweet.

_Dear Diary,_

_Well, we survived another day. Yay. My legs are starting to tire from all the running. I ran a lot at home, but I've never gone two hundred miles in four days before. I promise, as soon as we get to California, we're going to take a day off. Fang needs it too, and we could definitely use a day to just hang out. _

_Damn, I'm already tired. I guess this is it._

_Love,_

_Max_

I folded up my diary and set it back in my backpack. I set my head down and immediately realized how tired I really was. Within a minute, I was asleep, right next to Fang.

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**So, no romance yet. Do you guys want it to start soon? I'll definitely take opinions into consideration. Feel free to drop me a PM or review if you have any criticism, suggestions, or anything else. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to all who shared their opinion on last chapter's question! The J.K. Rowling comment made me laugh out loud :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

**Claimer: I own the plot. I think.**

**I made this chapter longer than usual. I think it's my best FPOV chapter so far.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Fang's POV**

I woke up slowly, savoring the comfort of the dry, fluffy grass beneath me and the comforting warmth Max's body gave me. A soft twilight glow streamed through the trees around me. Max's brown hair, swept across the ground, glowed like a halo in the beautiful light.

Along with a strong reassuring happiness, I felt an inevitable twinge of jealousy at how well she slept. My nights were often sleepless and bombarded with vivid, dark images. I was fortunate to still be sane after all the disturbing images fed to me through dreams. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly they were, but I did distinctly see ghostly shadows slipping in and out of my consciousness at night. It almost felt like my subconscious was trying to send me a message or something.

Over the past few days, I'd only had one nightmare total. It wasn't even crazy, it was just too realistic for me to be able to brush it off. Max and I getting caught by the police would be just about the worst thing that could happen. I couldn't let Max down, especially since she trusted me so much. The occasional innocent look in her usually fierce eyes was enough of a telltale sign of how much she trusted me. There was no way I was going to fail her.

My dreams were illuminated, for once, with a bright light. I couldn't tell what it was, or where it came from, but every muscle in my body wanted to run towards the light and embrace its power and wholeness. Every single time, I awoke just before I reached it. I had the feeling that I should know what it was, or at least have a general idea, but I felt as lost as ever.

I sat up, squashing a bundle of dry grass below my feet. The sun hadn't even risen fully, yet I was awake. I was always an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person. In my life, it was basically a requirement, since my memories of waking up late weren't all pleasant. The last time it happened was when I was eleven. My memories of the day were broken, but I remembered a few too many moments from it.

I recalled my fearful shock as Nino, my dad, raised a stick to hit me. I remembered falling to the ground, trying not to cry, as my head wouldn't stop bleeding. Fortunately, Angel, who was three at the time, came upstairs to me with gauze and bandages she found in the medicine cabinet. I was too shocked and angry then to realize it, but little Angel probably saved my life. I swore, if my parents touched my little sister, they wouldn't live to see the next day. As soon as Max and I settled down near each other, I would adopt Angel. It was the hardest choice I'd ever made in my life to leave Angel behind. As guilty as I felt about it, I didn't regret it. I had to do it for myself, not for Angel, not for my friends, not for anyone else. This was my chance, and I took it.

_I'm coming back for you, Angel_, I told myself silently, _I promise. _

Out of every single person in this cruel world, Angel and Max were the two people who meant the most to me. I loved and trusted my close friends back at home, especially Iggy, but I shared an unbreakable bond with those two girls much stronger than friendship.

_They're not gone_, I reminded myself. I still had Ella's number safely tucked away in my backpack, and I definitely remembered where all of my friends lived. Even though I ran away, I knew they would forgive me.

I felt bad about just disappearing, but my friends would get along fine. Iggy and Ella had each other, and were looking as happy as they've ever looked together. As mushy as it may sound, I missed watching them hug, hold hands, and laugh at each other's jokes. I missed watching Gazzy and Angel running around in the meadows without a care in the world. It melted my heart enough to show me what life could offer despite my unfortunate one so far.

It also gave me a reassuring feeling of what home should be. Sure, I may have been living with Anne and Nino, but it wasn't home to me. A home is somewhere I feel wanted, loved, and happy. I hadn't found that yet, but I would never stop searching. Whether it be with my, with Max's friendship, or by myself, I would find it someday. A place where I belong.

Even though I was an especially strong person alone, I couldn't help but long for love. Sure, the brotherly love I shared with Iggy was great, but it wasn't the same as romantic love. Back at home, I could've easily had a girlfriend since many of the girls found me 'hot'. Unfortunately, most of them were either incredibly clingy or slutty to the core. I may not have had a girlfriend, but I did have standards.

A few years ago, I even dated several girls. I didn't share a kiss with any of them, but I felt what it was like to hold someone in your arms. I instantly knew the feeling was priceless, but something just didn't feel right. Even though the girls were sweet and pretty, they just made me uncomfortable. In fact, most humans made me uncomfortable. I had a sense that the feeling was mutual.

Even several feet away, I could feel warmth radiating from Max's body. She was still curled up on the grass, her face comfortably set in a peaceful half-smile as usual.

The sun had fully risen, and there were few clouds to block it. Today was a really beautiful day. There was a gentle breeze rippling through the air, elevating several strands of Max's hair off the grass.

I grabbed my backpack's straps and picked it up. I opened the zipper to take out some food. When my hand was inches from the zipper, I stopped. It dawned on me that I'd never had a proper meal together with Max. Maybe we could start today. Besides, I felt a little guilty about eating before her. What happened to the courtesy and etiquette I learned, so long ago back at home?

I felt a tad ashamed that I waited for my jerk parents to eat their food before I received their leftovers, and I dug into perfectly good food before Max even woke up. How could I treat my captors, er, parents, better than my best friend? Not living in fear was no excuse to become selfish. I silently reminded myself to treat Max better.

Speaking of Max, I just noticed her stirring by my side. She uncurled herself and became still again, this time in lying flat on her back with her arms at her sides. Studying her, I realized how beautiful she really was. She wasn't just pretty, she was beautiful on the inside as well. Max was the strongest person I'd met, but she had a distinct soft side to her. She would've been a perfect big sister for Angel.

_It's not too late for that to happen_, I reminded myself. Max and Angel would definitely meet someday. The two nicest and strongest girls in my life could survive until then. Regardless, I had to tell Max more about Angel sometime. I also knew little about her past. I didn't want to make her sad or uncomfortable, but I really wanted to know. Regardless of how bad it was, I wouldn't judge her.

When I looked into her warm, chocolate eyes, I saw pain. Deep, hard, pain. I didn't see any trace of guilt. I wasn't sure how I could tell so much about Max by just looking at her, but something was different about her. I was good at reading people, but I could read Max like a book. I also saw raw emotional toughness totally uncharacteristic of most seventeen-year-olds. Max and I were both mature beyond our years.

A foot to my right, Max was finally waking up. The sun was well above the horizon line by now. Max's eyes flickered open and quickly shut again. She rolled over once, and a bad memory of me falling into a lake popped into my mind. I was still shuddering at the memory, so I let Max roll right into the cement trench next to us. Albeit minor, the impact instantly shook her awake.

"Aahhhh!" she yelled, before realizing that she had fallen about eighteen inches. I suppressed a smile and offered her a hand up. As I expected, Max slapped it away, scowling, and got up herself. She crawled over to her backpack, her long hair still a mess. I'd learned from the past few days that Max wasn't concerned with how she looked, as long as she could run. I had to admit, I kind of liked that about her.

Max quickly rummaged through her backpack for food. She grabbed a small can of tuna and used her knife to pry it open. I walked over to her and popped a bag of dried apples open.

We ate for a few minutes in silence. Turns out the forest around us was full of loud, chirping birds. I wished I could just be free and fly alongside them without a care in the world.

As Max stuffed the now empty can of tuna back in her bag, I stood up. Max grabbed my hand and gently pulled me back.

"Fang…I have to tell you more about my past," she spat out quickly. "I can't keep anything from you anymore, and it's been bothering me for a few days now."

I sat down beside her. Last time we talked about her past, she completely shut me out. Now, she was suddenly voluntarily telling me?

"Go ahead," I prompted.

Max took a deep breath. "Okay, so my mom was a teenage crack addict and my dad was a delinquent college student. They couldn't take care of me, so they put me up for adoption. My foster parents, Jeb and Valencia, treated me like dirt. Jeb was always drunk, and he threw stuff and-and hit me," Max said softly. I internally winced at her every word. I could relate to it all too well.

"They kept saying they didn't have enough money to feed me, but I knew better. They had enough money for Jeb's wine and Valencia's gambling, but not enough to feed me even one proper meal. I always got last dibs, even after the dog. I threatened to leave, but they countered with saying they would call the cops and send me to juvie. I always shut up and lived with it, but one day it was too much. Jeb threw his bottle at me and I left the next day. Then I met you," Max explained. She managed to not cry through her whole speech, but I could tell she was holding back tears. Max was a tough girl, but seventeen horrible years of pain? That would push anybody past their breaking point.

A few seconds after she finished, Max dropped her mask of toughness. It really killed me to see her so down. She was usually full of energy and sarcastic comments.

Without warning, Max threw herself onto me. I was taken aback for a moment before wrapping my arms around her. I wasn't a very huggie person, but I had to be strong for Max. Shaking, she lightly sobbed into my shoulder. I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"Shhhh," I whispered, "it'll be all right. I'm here for you, and you don't have to see your parents again." Max weakly nodded, still in my arms. Her eyes were slightly red, but she looked fine for the most part. The fiery energy in her eyes was partially gone. She looked slightly broken, but she'd be fine in a few hours at most. I admired her toughness a lot.

After a few minutes of trying to regain her composure, Max slipped out of my arms. She rubbed her eyes and stood up unsteadily. Shaking, she wordlessly began her stretching routine. But something was missing today. She was usually enthusiastic about running, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it today.

"Let's go," she announced unenthusiastically, after finishing.

I nodded and followed her out of the clearing. There was a path where we were, so we didn't need the map.

After a few minutes, I noticed something was definitely wrong with Max. She didn't have the same grace and speed she usually did. I hoped it was just emotional exhaustion and nothing worse.

We continued another twenty miles, stopping a mile outside the city. Max told me she couldn't go any farther today. We could hit the city tomorrow, when Max was in a better mood. It was just about noon, but we could only run if Max felt like it.

Max and I sat down in a large grassy field. She immediately sat down and drank the rest of her water. I had none left, and I needed some badly. I had to get another bottle and refills in town.

"Yo, Max? I gotta refill our bottles and get myself another one."

She looked up at me and nodded. After replacing the cap on her bottle, she handed it to me.

"Back in a flash," I told Max with a grin.

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About six hours later, Max and I were sitting in the field with three filled water bottles. I got myself another purple one for the sake of continuity.

"Rockin' the purple, Fang?" Max asked me with a smirk. Ignoring the comment, I smiled back at her. It felt really good to see the old Max back. That smirk, as aggravating as it was, reminded me how much I relied on my friends' support. It was also her first smile of any sort today. It warmed me all the way down to my feet.

"Problem with it?" I retorted playfully.

Max shook her head, laughing. "Just doesn't seem like your style," she replied. She was right, of course. I had no idea why I chose purple.

I shrugged and unzipped my backpack. I had one more can of tuna, which would be enough to last me until tomorrow. Max had some black beans. When we were finished we lay down in the field beside each other.

"So, Fang-something-Walker, we're going to town tomorrow. Wait, what is your middle name?" Max said.

"Fang."

"What? I thought that was your first name."

"Nah. Nick's my first name."

"Nicholas Fang Walker. Sounds good."

"What's your middle name, Max?"

"Carly."

"Maximum Carly Ride. Sounds like a pop star to me."

Max nudged me. "Shut up, Fang!" she giggled. But I was just getting started.

"Introducing, Max Carly Ride, singing Never Say Never by Justin Bieber."

"What the-wait, how do you even know that song? Do I smell a Belieber?" Max questioned, raising her eyebrows.

I made a show of sighing. "Nah, I-" was all I managed before Max cut me off.

"Hey, Fang, when's your birthday? I heard Justin's coming out with a new album soon, and I don't want his biggest fan to be missing out."

"March 13." I responded because I thought she should know my birthday, not that I felt like dignifying her comment. I rolled my eyes and lay back on the grass. Max smirked in victory and gave me a quick hug.

"Good night, Fang," she said, lying down next to me. She pulled out her diary and wrote in it again.

I couldn't sleep right away, though. I had a few thoughts to sort out.

Max's past was rough, possibly even harder than mine. It sounded like her parents went out of their way to make her life miserable. Nino and Anne were jerks, but they didn't go out of their way to make my life hell. They didn't beat me unless I did something wrong.

It caused Max a lot of pain to even talk about her parents. Both her birth parents and foster parents. At least she knew who her real parents were. Nino and Anne might have known, but they never told me. Not knowing sucked, but at least I could leave the possibility of real, good parents open.

I yawned. I'd think further about it tomorrow. I was ready to drop.

_Please let Max be okay_, I thought before dozing off.

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**So, a little bit of the beginning of Fax! It's not much, but more will come, I promise. How'd you guys like it? Any suggestions, comments, criticism, etc. encouraged.**

**Don't worry, they're falling for each other. They just don't know it yet :).**

**Question of the Chapter: Where do you want Fang and Max to go? They're going to California next, but I'm not sure where to send them next. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Shout out to Virls101 for being the 25th reviewer!**

**And thank you also to all reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. JP does.**

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**Max's POV**

I woke up easily this morning, feeling stronger than I'd ever felt before. I just finished a lucid dream, and it was a thriller. In the dream, Fang and I had wings. Fang had long, black wings, and I had light brown wings. We were flying the skies together over the East Coast. We didn't have wings in real life, but my dream flight felt so right and real. I was thoroughly disappointed when I woke up.

Even though I poured my heart out to Fang yesterday, I felt our relationship strengthen. I trusted him, and he trusted me too. I knew I could count on him under any circumstances. He was the only person I'd ever met that was as tough as, if not tougher than me.

Although I'd never really hugged anyone before besides Total, it came naturally with Fang. Everything I did with him just felt so right and natural. It was almost like I was destined to meet him. He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I wished I never had to experience life again without Fang by my side.

It was obvious that he wasn't usually as a comforting person, but he knew exactly what to say to me. He didn't ramble on with the sorries and cliches, thankfully. He just reminded me that he was here for me and willing to listen to my rants.

I'd never heard a silence quite as loud as Fang's. He spoke more than anyone else through non-verbal communication. Each word he said contained an unspoken paragraph. People just had to read between the lines.

Having been through some remotely similar experiences really made it easy for us to relate to each other. Fang was strangely almost like a brother to me now. He didn't feel like family, at all, but our bond was just as strong as a sibling bond. We bantered with, comforted, and could relate to each other as if we were siblings. Something was different, though. I'd never had a sibling, but I knew it wasn't exactly like this. It was frustrating not knowing what I was feeling. **(A/N: Hint hint? Re-read the last paragraph :D)**

I assumed Fang and his little sister, Angel, were really close. Being abused really made one rely on people close to them for support. Being on the run wasn't easy, but it was a hell of a lot easier to have Fang and no house than it was to live in a hellish house with no Fang.

For once, I woke up before Fang. It was completely dark outside, which I was only used to seeing at night, and I only got six hours of sleep, tops. We only ran twenty miles yesterday, so I wasn't physically tired. I was emotionally worn down, though. I was never an emotional girl, but Fang's eyes drew my soul right out of me. He could melt me by just looking at me. It was blissful and horrible at the same time.

I looked up at the sky. There were a few stars here and there, but it was nothing compared to the first real night Fang and I shared. We were a mile from a town, so fewer stars were to be expected. Plus, it was nearly morning.

Fang was still sleeping, several feet to my left. We had an unspoken habit of me sleeping directly to the right of Fang. I liked it because I could write in my diary and not disturb him. I was right-handed, so it would've been tough to write with someone to my right.

Fang didn't seem to be sleeping all that peacefully, though. He wasn't moving around, but his closed eyes were shaking. It almost looked like Fang was longing for something. His fists weren't clenched, but they were gripping air. I hoped that this wasn't unusual for Fang. At the same time, I wished this was an anomaly. It would suck to have this much trouble sleeping every night.

Eventually, Fang's quaking stopped and he seemed at ease. His eyes opened slowly. I sat down next to him.

"Fang, do you always go crazy when you sleep?" I asked.

He groggily turned to face me. "What?"

"Your eyes were shut tight and shaking. Your hands looked like they were grabbing something."

"Huh," Fang replied, shrugging. "Didn't know that."

I nodded. Then, I realized what Fang could've been 'freaking out' about.

"Fang, what was your dream last night?"

Fang paused for a moment before answering me. "Well, there was a bright light in my dream. I ran, no, floated towards it. Just before I got there, it disappeared and I woke up. I've had the same dream for almost a week now," Fang stated, expressionlessly. Huh. That's a strange dream.

"Do you know what it means?"

"No idea. Do you know?" Fang asked me hopefully.

"I have no idea either," I said, standing up. Fang stood up right after me. We picked up our backpacks and slung them over our backs.

"So, wanna just get to town first, and stretch and run later?" I suggested. Fang nodded, shrugging. Yesterday he had actually been somewhat talkative. He had become his silent old self now.

"Got a plan for lifting some dough?" I asked.

"Yeah. So we go into a small store, ask for something cheap they're out of stock for, and wait until the cashier goes into the backroom. Then, we just grab money and stuff it in our pockets. We wait for him, pay, and then leave. He won't suspect a thing."

"Sounds good. But what if we get caught?" Fang shrugged.

"We'll cross that bridge if it comes." I nodded, glad he said _if_, not _when_. Fang was usually an optimist, even if he rarely smiled.

We stood up and started to make our way towards town. Since it was just a mile, Fang decided to walk rather than jog.

"So, tell me a little bit about Angel," I prompted.

"Blonde, curly hair, about 4'6, smiles a lot. What do you want to know?"

"Like, how close were you guys?"

"We were really close. We slept on the roof and spotted constellations together all the time." So that's where he learned about stars! I felt a twinge of jealousy. I never had anyone who I could just relax with and spend time with.

"She could practically read minds. Whenever she met people, she could always tell what they were feeling and thinking. It was kinda creepy."

"I can see where she got that from." Fang shook his head.

"More like where I got it from. She always looks innocent, but don't let it fool you."

I nodded, letting his words sink in. If Fang had someone like Angel, why did he run away?

"Why'd you run away, Fang?"

"Parents beat me. Didn't give me food. Nearly killed me once, when I was eleven." I gasped. Jeb had been a huge jerk to me, but he'd never come close to killing me. I'd gotten tons of bruises and scratches, but not even a broken bone.

"What happened?"

"Woke up late. Nino hit me with a stick a bunch of times. My head was bleeding, and I was going to die, but Angel bandaged me up." I winced. Suddenly, I felt strangely thankful that Jeb was drunk and weak. I could've easily run away from him, even at eleven. Nino seemed to actually be a good fighter, intent on hurting Fang. I was at a loss to as why Fang's foster parents even adopted him. They were always either ignoring him or beating him up, according to Fang's reports.

I could see why he ran away. I silently prayed that Angel would be okay, at least until Fang and I could help her somehow. She couldn't run with us, though. We'd have to be settled down. In the meantime, hopefully Fang's other friends could do something to help.

"Smart girl," I remarked.

"She was three. Don't ask me how she got to the medicine cabinet, but I'm not questioning my luck." I gaped at him. Angel saved his life as a _three-year-old_? That was impressive. I decided I liked her.

"Wow," was all I could say. I had to meet that girl someday.

We walked in silence for another minute before reaching town. This one was nothing like the one Fang and I went to earlier. That one was more like a city, whereas this town had a distinct rural feel. There were very few cars here. It wasn't as fancy as the city, but it felt more inviting. I was never one for big billboards and flashing lights. I felt as guilty as hell that we'd have to steal money here.

Fang and I walked together around the town, looking for a place to refill our bottles and get cleaned up. Neither of us had had a shower for a week, and it wasn't hard to tell. With all the running, we were practically caked in dried sweat. On the bright side, we'd be out of dreaded Arizona possibly by tomorrow.

Eventually, we arrived at a small store which had restrooms. Fang tapped my shoulder and led me towards the building. There was only one bathroom, so we had to take turns. Fang insisted that I go first.

The bathroom was a lot nicer than I expected. There was a real toilet and sink. It definitely beat using trees as toilets. I took of my shirt and turned on the sink.

I grabbed a wad of paper towels and wet them. I started to remove the dirt and grime on my skin with them.

After about fifteen minutes, I was done and clothed. It felt so great being clean. I'd never cared too much about my appearance, but not showering for a week was too much for my liking.

I exited the room, where Fang was waiting patiently for me.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Fang was done. We walked out of the store to the cashier's dismay. She probably wasn't happy that two teenagers used her bathroom for half an hour without buying anything. Oh well, she should've been happy we weren't using our plan on her.

We walked around the town, looking for a small store with exactly one cashier. It wasn't hard to find one. We found a viable target no more than a thousand feet from the store we just left.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the cashier asked, as we walked in.

"Just looking around," I replied. He nodded.

Fang and I walked around the store, in search of a cheap, useful item that was out of stock. Fang eventually settled on a fat, purple water bottle to add to his collection. It was ten bucks, but it was better to buy something we'd actually use than buy some dream catcher or some other crap like that.

Holding the blue version of the water bottle he wanted, Fang walked over to the cashier.

"Purple bottle like this?"

The cashier shrugged. "I can check in the back for you," he offered.

Fang nodded, pretending he was just making a normal purchase. He was a good actor.

As Fang was speaking, I snuck around the side of the desk, moving closer to the unblocked side. As the cashier walked into the room behind him, I quickly scrambled behind the desk. I opened drawers and boxes, looking for where he kept his money. After a few seconds, I opened a small brown drawer stuffed with twenties. I grabbed about ten of them, shut it quickly and noiselessly, and scrambled out of the desk. All in good time.

As soon as I resumed my position right next to Fang, the cashier walked out of the backroom. He was holding the purple water bottle.

After the cashier scanned it and I paid him with one of his own bills, we thanked him and left the building. As soon we were out of sight, Fang dropped his impassive mask. His face tightened and he clenched his fists.

"Max," he forced out.

"Hey, Fang, I didn't want to do it either. But we need the money badly." Fang visibly loosened, but he still looked troubled. I didn't blame him one bit. Stealing was wrong. No question about it.

Before Fang could break down, hit something, yell at me, or all three, I led him into a different part of town.

"We still need food and water," I reminded him.

He nodded slightly. I sighed, noticing Silent Fang make a return. Over the week, I thought I'd managed to soften him up a little, but it seemed like he was back to his old self. I chided myself for trying to manipulate him. I had no rights to his life, especially since he was acting on behalf of his morals. If he wanted to be silent, he should be silent. If he wanted to run his mouth, he should do it at his own risk. Plus, we just stole a lot of money, so he was probably just feeling guilty.

Yeah, it was probably that. Just this morning, Fang gave me quite a speech about his excuse for a father. He'd be over it by tomorrow at best.

* * *

About an hour later, we were standing at the edge of town with a week's supply of food and four full bottles. Fang and I agreed to share the fourth bottle.

The sun was directly overhead. We still could get our daily running in today, but we might have to cut it short since our packs were heavy.

We had about seventy miles until we reached the border to California. We could cover thirty today and the other forty tomorrow. I smiled internally at the thought of leaving this cursed state. At least we were out of both Fang and I's hometowns. They were anything but home.

* * *

Seven hours and a casual forty miles later, we found ourselves in a quiet suburban area. Crap. It would be hard to sleep here without being noticed. I shuddered as I thought of the sewer we slept in on our first day together. Even though it sucked, Fang made it the best day of my life to that point.

Apparently Fang was thinking the same thing as I was, because his shoulders slumped. "Not again.." he mumbled.

I walked over to the nearest manhole and popped it open. To my surprise, it wasn't nearly as bad as the one we were in earlier. It had a slightly musty smell, and the walls were a bit dirty, but it was fine for the most part. Two parallel platforms ran along the sides of the sewer, providing us with convenient places to lie down.

Fang and I descended down the fortunately clean ladder. We put down our packs directly across from each other and lay down next to them. It felt odd not sleeping right next to Fang. Even though we had only slept essentially pressed against each other for the past few days, I missed his warmth and comforting aura.

"So, Max, how's it like on the run for you?" Fang asked me.

"Do I really need to answer that?" I replied with a smile. Fang raised his eyebrows. "All right, fine. Well, it beats being home by a long shot. And a certain dark-haired annoying boy has given my life a sense of direction. How's it for you?" Fang chuckled.

"Even the first few weeks, without you, were better than home. This past week has been loads better though. I missed having someone to talk to. A certain sarcastic dark blonde-haired girl has decided to invade my life and be that person," Fang answered honestly. It was rare for him to display such blatant emotion like that. I didn't know how to respond to it.

"Yup. And that sarcastic blonde girl will invade more than just your life if you don't call her by her name."

"You started it, Maximum Carly Ride. Remind me again, when are you touring?" I groaned. We already went through this yesterday.

"Well, you see, Nicholas Fang Walker, I'm on tour right now. And you're my stage partner."

"I feel so honored, Max," Fang said, sarcastically.

"You should, Fang. If you'll excuse me, I have some writing to do. Our next song, of course."

"All right," he said, catching my drift.

It was too dark to write down here, so I grabbed my diary and pen and climbed back up the ladder. I sat on the street above our sewer.

_Dear Diary,_

_I've officially known Fang for a week now, and I can honestly testify that it's been the best, most fun, and happiest week of my life. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's only been a week. Jeb and Valencia felt like a lifetime ago. I'm glad it feels like that. _

_A new door has opened for me, leading to a new beginning. Don't think for one second that I'm looking back. _

_Love,_

_Max_

As I re-entered the sewer, I noticed Fang was already snoring to my left. How was he that tired already? It hit me that it was probably the same emotional tiredness I felt yesterday. He poured out his heart to me today, at least by his standards, but was a lot stronger about it. He just told me blandly, with his impassive mask on. Me? Not so much. I collapsed into Fang's arms right after finishing.

I tried to get comfortable on the hard concrete sewer ground, but wasn't having much luck. Fang and I were essentially opposites when it came to sleeping. Fang calmly fell into a restless sleep, whereas I restlessly fell into a calm sleep.

About an hour later, I finally fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was Fang's confident grin, burned in the back of my mind.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed it! I have a funny little scene planned for next chapter, so be on the lookout :) **

**Shout out to anyone who gets the 2 Taylor Swift references in the chapter. There was also one last chapter, did anyone find it?**

**Question of the Chapter: What are your thoughts on Max's diary? Any suggestions for it? Should it stay, go, or change?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! My story officially has 2,000 views. Thanks to everyone who helped create that by reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR. James Patterson does.**

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**Fang's POV**

Unlike two days ago, when all I wanted to do was just lie in the comfortable grass by Max's side, I was eager to wake up this morning. My concrete platform was slightly wet, which was _really_ annoying, and Max wasn't lying by my side. I was slightly aquaphobic, so I was pissed about my damp shirt. Even though it was summer, it was really cold in the sewer. I needed Max's warmth now much more than I had above ground.

Speaking of Max, something was up with her. She wasn't just peacefully lying down like she usually was. Her hair was all over her face and her arms were contorted in all sorts of angles. Much like what she said I was doing yesterday, her eyes were shut tightly and her hands were tense. She looked as stiff as plywood.

"Fang," she choked out. I straightened up. Her face looked like it was made of stone. Her hands actually were clenched, and her head was practically vibrating.

"Max?" I asked her.

"Fang," she repeated. I didn't respond this time. Her head looked like it was about to explode.

Suddenly, she abruptly relaxed. She looked just like she usually did sleeping: at peace. As I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, Max turned towards me, her eyes still closed.

"Fang," she whispered.

"Yeah, Max?" I said. I thought she might have woken up, given her complete change in demeanor.

"Fang, I love you. I love you sooooooo much," she whispered dreamily, hugging the air in front of her.

"Oh, jeez," I muttered quickly, freezing up. Hopefully Max was still unconscious, and that was a random comment.

I refused to think of what it could mean if Max meant it. If it was brotherly love, it made complete sense. I did love her, but not as a girlfriend or anything like that. I loved her just like how I loved Angel.

I mean, how could you fall in love with someone after a week? Sure, our week together felt more like a year, but we were just friends. Best friends, but nothing but friends. Max didn't seem like one to jump into a relationship, and I was glad for that. But if and when she got married, it would be with someone else, right? She's my best friend. Best friends are always there for each other, willing to help each other, and sometimes even willing to die for each other. But they were friends. Nothing more.

Wait, how did I even end up thinking of a romance between Max and I? That's just weird.

Anyways, Max had visibly relaxed on her platform. She looked just like she had two days ago in the dry, grassy field. I wasn't sure about yesterday, since she woke up before me.

What was with that? I certainly didn't wake up late. She just woke up super early. I had no idea why, but I wasn't complaining. If we could get going earlier, we could leave the state sooner. I couldn't wait to finally cross the border to California. Leaving the state would be a major stepping stone in our new lives. Maybe we could return to Arizona someday when we were better off. After a week, I already missed my friends.

And Angel. It hurt how much I missed her and her adorable wide grins, her big blue eyes, and her curly, blonde hair. Most of all, her ability to see right through me was what I loved most about her. I couldn't lie to her. I hated it sometimes, but deep down, it was nice knowing that someone knew me almost better than I knew myself. I really wanted to talk to her soon, even if it was just for a minute.

Suddenly, I thought of an idea. I had Ella's phone number. Next time we reached a town, I could call Ella with a payphone and ask her to put Angel on the line. I could also talk to my other friends. I felt a spark of happiness thinking about them. I missed all the times we hung out at the mall, played pranks on each other, and laughed at each other's plans to take over the world. If only I could've stayed home. But, my family life was way too messed up for me to take that chance. Maybe I could get an apartment someday back in Phoenix near my friends.

On the opposite platform, Max was sound asleep. It was almost like her ah, minor incident, never happened. Besides her hair still being messed up, she looked like she normally did sleeping. Her limbs were all in place, she was relaxed, and her chest was rising and falling slowly with her breaths. Just by looking at her, it seemed unlikely that she wasn't lucid during her 'outburst'.

Once I knew Max was okay, I made a beeline for the ladder. Even though this sewer wasn't too bad, by sewer standards, it was still filthy. I couldn't stand being in damp, musty, enclosed places. For a claustrophobic aquaphobic, sewers were hell in a nutshell.

I grabbed the third rung on the fortunately dry ladder. I carefully made my way up, so as to not awaken Max, and pushed the manhole cover off a little too hard. Unfortunately, it flew about a foot in the air before falling back down and pinching my left hand's fingers against the asphalt.

Pain shot through my fingers and slowly crawled down my arm. I was used to pain like this, but I was usually prepared for it. The cover falling completely blindsided me. It couldn't have been more than twenty pounds, but it was still metal. It was more than heavy and strong enough to break a finger. My index and middle fingers were hit pretty well.

"Crap," I muttered, wincing. With my other hand, I pushed the cover back up just enough to dislodge my fingers. I yanked my fingers back too quickly. My middle finger banged against the top of the sewer, sending a new jolt of pain through my left hand.

Quickly, I made my way down the ladder and onto the nearest platform. It happened to be Max's. Sitting down, I inspected my fingers. On the outside, they looked fine, but something bothered me. I couldn't move my middle finger. I hoped it was just a bruise or sprain, but I knew better.

It was broken.

Crap.

I'd had broken bones before, courtesy of Nino and sometimes Anne, but I had no medical treatment this time. I needed tape to tie my fingers together, so they would heal right. **(A/N: Sorry if I'm wrong. I have no idea, and I've inherited too much of Max's pride to resort to the internet.)**

Problem was, I didn't have tape. And we had no way to get it unless we either got some in a town or city, which would be tomorrow at best, or went back to the town we were just at. Both options sucked majorly.

If we waited until California, my finger would have two days to heal incorrectly. I'd have to re-break it to mend it correctly, and I didn't want to do that.

If we backtracked, we would be stuck in Arizona another two days. That would suck as well. The worst part was that we were probably wanted criminals in the town for stealing the dude's money.

As bad as the first option was, I knew that'd have to be the route we'd take. We couldn't risk getting arrested. As painful as it could be, we could risk having to re-break my finger. Max would probably feel as guilty as hell, but that was better than living in prison or being sent back home.

It'll be fine, I reminded myself. And since when did I panic? I took a deep breath.

That was a mistake. Taking a deep breath while in a sewer isn't the greatest idea. Let me just say that it wasn't pleasant. My instinct was to climb the ladder quickly and run out, but I hesitated after my latest run-in with the manhole cover.

"Good morning, Fang," Max said. I wheeled around.

"Morning. When'd you wake up?"

"A few minutes ago. A loud noise woke me up." Crap. As well as breaking my fingers, I had woken Max. Good work, Fang.

"Yeah, about that…" I trailed off, showing her my hand. "Tried to pop open the manhole and it landed on my hand." She inspected my fingers carefully, a concerned expression on her face. Her face fell.

"Nice going, Fang. It's broken, for sure," she said, confirming my fears.

"It's fine. We'll tape it in California." She shook her head.

"We'll have to re-break it if it heals wrong."

"What options do we have?" I said. She paused.

"We could go back and get tape there." I shook my head.

"We're probably wanted criminals back there." Realization dawned on her. She grimaced and looked away.

"Let's go," she decided. I let her climb the ladder first and try her hand with the manhole cover. She lifted the cover and placed it on the asphalt without a problem. I scowled.

When we were on the sidewalk, we both knew it was in our best interests to find a more secluded place to eat. After a few minutes of scouting, we arrived in a small, compact cluster of trees and bushes. Max and I climbed into the center of the plants and sat down. There wasn't much room, so Max had to sit on my lap. It was a tad awkward, but it felt kind of good at the same time. I certainly wasn't complaining, even though her long hair was all over my face.

Max opened her backpack and pulled out a slightly stale bagel. I pulled a can of brown beans from my pack. Within three minutes, we were both done.

Max stood up slowly. For some reason, I was a little disappointed. I guess it was because I missed her warmth. I wasn't completely sure, though.

I shook the feeling and stood up. We climbed out of the brush and made our way to the clearing.

"California, here we come," Max said, as we climbed out of the brush.

* * *

Five hours later, we were standing a foot from the border to California. I couldn't wait to take the last step and finally be out of the state.

"Do the honors, Max."

She proudly stepped across the border, beaming at me. I followed her across. We ran away from the border as fast as we could.

I didn't look back.

* * *

Several hours after crossing the border, we crashed in a large forest. For once, Max was actually tired. We both collapsed against a tree. The sun had already gone down, and the pure starlight shone down on us through the canopy. I really wanted to stargaze again, but neither of us had the energy. Besides, we couldn't see many stars through the trees.

I wanted to just eat a quick dinner and go to sleep, but I had to take care of something first.

"Hey, Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you know that you sleeptalk?"

"Nope. What'd I say?" Max said. I grinned.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Oh, gosh. Tell me, Fang!"

"Fang, I love you. I love you sooooooo much," I said in my best imitation of her. To add to the effect, I made a kissy face and placed my hands on my heart.

Max immediately turned red. Her jaw dropped. "I-i-w-what the hell?! Did I really say that?" I chuckled and nodded.

"Well….I didn't mean it. You know that, Fang," she said, glaring daggers at me.

"Uh, huh. Sure you didn't."

"Shut up, Fang! I hate you!" she yelled, shoving me hard. My breath left me with a _WHOOSH!_ as I fell on my behind. Max stood over me, giving me a strange look somewhere between a grin and a glare. A lightbulb suddenly went off in my head. I suppressed a smile.

Feigning exhaustion, I slouched forward and lowered my head. Max knelt right in front of me. Perfect.

"Aww, is little Fangy's ego hurting?" Max purred sarcastically.

Without any warning, I shot forward and yanked off Max's shoe. Before she could react, I tickled her foot. As soon as my fingers made contact with the sole of her foot, Max's body went stiff and arched. Grinning, I continued tickling her. Max was squealing and laughing uncontrollably and thrashing around, trying to free herself from my right hand. After a few seconds, she finally managed to escape.

"Don't you EVER dare do that again," Max said, grinning and panting.

"That's what happens when you mess with the all-powerful Fang Walker." Max stuck her tongue out at me and lay down. I scooted over next to her and lay down.

The last thing I remembered before losing consciousness was Max's sleeptalking.

_Fang, I love you. I love you sooooooo much._

* * *

**There was no way I could sneak Valium into the story right now, so sleeptalking was my best idea. I know it's a bit premature for something like that, but I wanted to at least have Fang and Max think about romance.**

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**Iluviggyhesthebest: **Thanks. That's a good point, didn't think about that.

**Fandomsunite98: **Yep, it's coming! :) There will be a ton of Fax later, so you can say that again.

**Loserslovereadin (Anonymous): **Thanks for the feedback. I think that's a good idea, and I'll try to implement the change.

**No-one (Anonymous): **Thank you!

**EosAurora (Anonymous): **I gotta say, you're a really awesome reviewer. I'm really glad you read my stories :) They are flirting! Eventually, they'll wake up and realize they're in love. But that time is yet to come...and thanks for your opinion on the diary. I really want to keep it in, and I think I'm going to.

**Ktie Flare (Anonymous): **Glad you got them :) Thanks for the input!

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**Question of the Chapter: If you could change one thing about ANB, what would it be? I could really use some concrit, if you have a minute to review. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I'm not JP. I don't own the characters.**

* * *

**Max's POV**

_Fang, I love you. I love you sooooooo much._

I shook my head in disgust. I couldn't believe it. Did I really say stuff like that in my sleep? I hoped Fang was just kidding, but something told me he was telling the truth. Fang wasn't one to lie about something like this.

Several years ago, I heard that sleeptalking reflected a person's true desires and emotions. If that was really true, it definitely didn't apply to me. I most certainly did _not_ love Fang _sooooooo_ much. First I have dreams of Fang getting shot at by a policeman, and now I pronounce my undying love for him? I'd like to check out some of whatever drug whoever's controlling my dreams is on. I didn't even remember my dream yesterday. Someone must have possessed my mouth and said that for me.

Fang was my best friend. Enough said.

Still, my mind wouldn't stop confusing itself when it came to Fang. I _did_ love him, in a way, since he was my best friend, my partner in crime, and the best thing that's ever happened to me. But I didn't think of him as any more than a friend, even though I secretly enjoyed hugging him and sitting on his lap.

Besides, Fang didn't love me. I knew that for a fact. Not that it meant anything, of course. I never had a boyfriend at home before. It was kind of depressing, since I'm 17, to never have dated, but romance never interested me one bit. I wasn't about to deteriorate into a lovesick teenager.

Before my brain twisted itself into a knot, my thoughts shifted into another tragic occurrence yesterday: Fang discovering my ticklishness. I was hoping to hide it from him, but by chance he discovered it. Of all places, he chose to tickle my foot? Really, Fang?

It was more than a little sad that I couldn't break free from one hand. I was well-known at school for my strength, yet I let a guy with a broken hand grab my foot and tickle me into oblivion. Well, at least it wasn't just any guy.

Fang was the most intriguing person I'd ever met in my life. He's stronger than me mentally, and apparently physically too, yet I came to see the soft and fun-loving sides of him, too. Everything about him, everything he did seemed so familiar, as if I'd known him my whole life. I racked my brain for anyone at school that could've possibly been him. As I expected, nobody reminiscent of Fang came to mind.

Still, it felt like Fang was meant to be my perfect 'other half' in a way. We could practically read each other's minds. I could easily see through Fang's impassive masks without even trying to. I had no doubt he could read me like an open book as well.

We were similar in personality; we were both strong and brave with an instinct for survival. Fang put all the boy scouts and jocks to shame when it came to toughness. A mere hard stare from Fang or me could paralyze nearly anyone back at school. It was pathetic how weak kids were nowadays.

Plus, how could we just meet each other in a random sewer? Out of the million places I could've gone, I went to the sewer in the cul-de-sac where Fang just happened to be. It felt way too surreal to be a mere coincidence. We were destined to meet. I was sure of it. So why was I so confused about how I felt about him?

If we manage to make it through this together, settle down somewhere, and live a happy, stable life, the first 17 years of my life might actually have been worth it. I never thought I would see my living hell as worth anything, but if it led me to a good friend and a new life, it might not have been so bad. Heck, I could even smile at the memories of Jeb and Val's ignorance.

But not yet. Even though it felt like months, it had only been nine days since I saw my foster parents. I clearly wasn't over them if cried like heck when I told Fang about them. I didn't want Fang to see me in such a fragile state, but I couldn't stop the flood of tears from coming. Just by telling him about them, a stream of memories flooded my brain: my parents making me feel like an invalid, Jeb throwing his bottles at me, Valencia slapping me across the face. Events I wished I could erase from my memory and nearly did reappeared to me in vivid Technicolor.

Logically, the best way to suppress old memories would be to create new ones, right? Well, today would be a good time to make some memories. We finally made it to California, after a long, hard week, so we could have our well-deserved day off. Despite his invincible façade, Fang really was tired. I was confident he could push through the week, but he was near his breaking point now. If we didn't take a day or two off, he might pull a muscle. That would mean we're screwed, more or less.

Even though it wasn't _that _bad, I was really worried about Fang's broken finger. I tried to act calm about it, but it drove me nuts. I felt bad that Fang got hurt while I was busy dozing off and proclaiming my undying love for him. Even though it was a stupid injury I couldn't have done a thing about, I felt a sense of protectiveness when it came to Fang. Neither of us needed protection, but it was an unspoken mutual feeling between us.

I looked up. Once again, it was still dark. Huh. When did I become an early riser? Apparently, Fang's habits rubbed off on me. Unlike his habit of being annoying sometimes, I actually liked getting up early. Thankfully, I hadn't stooped to the level of calling him a pop star.

Next to me, Fang finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes.

"About time you woke up, sleepyhead," I playfully reprimanded him. He shot up and looked at me.

"Max? Since when did you get up early?" I shrugged.

"Well, I'm not complaining. Sooner we're up, sooner we can leave. If we have time, we can take sixty or seventy miles," Fang said.

"So, where to next?" I asked.

Fang thought for a moment before replying. "North?"

I nodded. "Sounds good. Anywhere in particular?" He shook his head.

"Just far away from Arizona."

"Agreed. But we should take a day off today." Fang smiled.

"All right, sounds fun."

We both opened our backpacks and took out a can of food each. I felt grateful that I had real food to eat, unlike at home. Even though we had to steal in order to afford the food, I enjoyed every bite of it.

After eating, I opened Fang's backpack and rifled through it, looking for the cash. I was curious to know how much we had left so we could ration our food accordingly. Before I found it, I stumbled upon a piece of paper with a phone number on it.

"Hey, Fang? What's this?" I said, holding the paper out to him.

"Oh, that's Ella's number. I was going to call her next time I get the chance." Ella….Ella…who?

"Who's Ella?"

"Friend at home. Ella Amador. She was Iggy's girlfriend and one of my best friends."

"Lucky. So, who else was in your little friends circle?"

"Didn't I tell you already?" I shrugged. Actually, he did tell me when we just met. But I was too caught up in the fact that someone was in a freaking sewer to remember. "Well, Iggy was my best friend. He was 18, like me. Ella was his girlfriend. She was seventeen and had a little sister, Nudge. She was 13. Iggy also had a younger brother Nudge's age, Gazzy. We were always trying to get Nudge and Gazzy together," he said. I stared at him. He sure had quite a few friends.

"What were they like?" I said.

"They were all really nice. Iggy is tall, maybe six feet, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He's always been the joker of the group. Ella has long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She actually looks a little like you. She's shy around most people, but never shuts up when she talks to us. Nudge looked nothing like her, though. She has dark brown skin and eyes. She's the girly girl among us and always talks to everyone she meets. We call her the Nudge Channel, since her mouth is always running." Fang took an awkward deep breath, clearly not used to saying this much at one time.

Fang continued, "Gazzy looked exactly like Iggy, except he had short hair. He and Iggy always had pranks to pull on us. The worst day of my life was when Iggy discovered how to make an explosive. Gazzy's farts were already explosive enough, but they made some serious bombs. My mom still doesn't know how one of her bushes is now a pile of smoldering ash," Fang said with a small smile. I laughed.

"Cool. Hey, if you don't mind, can I talk to them?" I said. Fang shrugged.

"Sure. You should talk with Angel also. You'd be a perfect big sister for her."

"Sounds good. I'd love that." Fang smiled. The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon. Wow. I was up at what, four in the morning? That was usually closer to when I went to bed.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" I said. Fang shrugged, again.

"I don't know. Whatever you want. But it might be a good idea just to chillax here and recover," he said.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Turns out, we actually did end up just chilling out for fifteen hours straight. We climbed a huge tree and talked pretty much the entire time. We talked about Fang's friends, our schools, and Fang's exes. As Fang went on and on about his friends, I wished more and more that I could meet them. Or at least talk to them. In particular, I wanted to see Ella and Angel.

Fang told me about how he handled being popular at school. Unlike most people I knew, Fang loathed the popularity. I didn't blame him. He was only popular because he was so hot. He was nicknamed the Goth King, since he rarely spoke, but that didn't deter girls from asking for his phone number. Even though I wasn't surprised since he was hot, I felt a bit bad for him, having to deal with hordes of hormonal teenage girls.

He explained how his ex-girlfriends didn't feel right being with. For some reason, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy when he told me about dating Drew, a preppy cheerleader, and Sarah, a shy girl that got his attention. I felt a pang of relief when he told me he didn't share a kiss with either of them, but quickly squelched the feeling. Why did it matter to me, anyways? Fang's exes were his business. I had no right to complain, praise, or comment on any of them.

As the sun started to set, I realized how tired I was from all the running. We'd walked approximately twenty feet from our small clearing to this tree, but I was already blinking sleep from my eyes.

"Fang, I'm tired. I'm gonna hit the sack now." I yawned.

"Sure. I was gonna sleep too."

I slowly descended the tree, careful not to cause any branches to fly back to Fang. We made our way back to the spot we slept in yesterday. Before I could turn around, Fang was already lying on the ground. I lay down next to him and reached for my backpack. After pulling out my journal and pen, I set it aside.

_Dear Diary,_

_Fang. That boy. He's quite a work of art. He's the only person who's ever managed to thoroughly confuse my emotions. I thought I locked them in a box and lost the key, but apparently Fang has found the key. He's made me feel emotions I've never felt before in crazy amounts. Jealousy, happiness, even love. Brotherly love, of course. _

_The scary thing is, I'm not sure if I even want to find out what I feel about him. We're best friends, right? I don't want to mess that up for anything. I don't have to, and I shouldn't feel the need to. He's done so much for me, been so nice to me, and opened a new door in my life. So why is it so hard to see him as a best friend?_

_Love,_

_Max_

* * *

**By the way, there is a deleted scene at the end of the chapter. It contains more Fax and some 'formal' flirting! It'll be part of next chapter ;). There will be plenty of Fax in the future, I promise.**

**So, can we reach 50 reviews this chapter? I'd be a happy person if we manage that!**

**Question of the Chapter: What's your favorite scene in ANB so far? I'm willing to wager it was a Fax-ish one :)**

**Thanks for reading and fly on!**

**-MaximumRider99**


	10. Chapter 10

**YAY! CHAPTER TEN! This one's extra long to celebrate reaching double-digit chapter numbers :). 14 pages in Word. Hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. James Patterson does. I don't own the stars, either. Or California, for that matter.**

**Claimer: I own the...story? **

* * *

**Fang's POV**

After Max wrote in her diary, we decided to stargaze again. In rural Southern California, there was little to no light pollution to worry about, so we had a clear line of sight to most of the night sky through the relatively low treetops.

Even though we were surrounded by trees in a small clearing about 50 feet wide, the slight elevation difference and relatively short trees provided us with an unblemished view of hundreds of stars. They were out tonight, to say the least.

But the best part about relaxing was that I was doing it with Max. Her wide, chocolate brown eyes gleamed in the starlight. As Bruno Mars would say, they made the stars look like they weren't shining. And that was saying a lot, considering how bright the stars were tonight.

For the first time, I noticed how beautiful they really were. They didn't possess juvenile, superficial beauty, but they glowed with energy and radiated emotions. Despite the pain in her eyes, a glimmering ring of hope and happiness drowned it out. Her eyes were so much more beautiful when she was happy. They were perfect in every way. I could get lost in them and never want to find a way out.

When Max grabbed my hand, I felt a jolt of electricity course through my arm. Even though my initial reaction was to pull back, I fought my instincts and secured my hand around hers in response. She adjusted her hand in mine so they fit perfectly and scooted closer to me.

I suddenly paused. Why in the world was I holding Max's hand? We were just friends. I hoped Max just needed emotional support, but I suspected something else. Coupled with her outburst in the sewer, this was a good sign that she…she liked me as more than a friend. My mind immediately formulated a question:

Was that good or bad?

Right now, I couldn't answer that. And I'm not sure if I wanted to.

Before I could doze off, Max gave my hand another squeeze and turned towards me.

"Fang, do you see those two bright stars over there?" she asked me, pointing to a small cluster of stars. Her face was a mere few inches from mine. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as she moved closer.

Despite what it could lead to, I couldn't deny that I was enjoying every second of tonight. It felt perfect living in a world with just Max and I. I also couldn't deny that I felt a small, but still present, urge to kiss Max right then and there. But it wasn't right.

We weren't anything more than friends, and I couldn't play with Max's feelings like that. Plus, romance could mess up our friendship. Max's friendship and companionship meant more to me than anything else in the world. I didn't want anything to come between us and disturb our friendship.

Perhaps one day we could be more than friends, but not now. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy my night with Max. I could worry about the future later. It wasn't a problem for today.

I nodded. "Yeah," I said, spotting them. Even though they were close to many other stars, they were much brighter and easily distinguishable.

"Well, they remind me of…us, in a way," she said wistfully.

"Yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Think about it, Fang. Two stars in the middle of nowhere without a lead to follow. No clue what's going to happen next."

I nodded slowly, a smile forming on my lips. I liked the idea of floating around in the middle of nowhere with Max, without a care in the world.

"If only we could be that free," Max said, sighing. I agreed wholeheartedly. Maybe that could be possible…someday.

As we lay in the clearing, we talked about the stars. Turns out, Max knew quite a bit about them. We admired Sirius, Capella, and all the other bright stars.

As the night went on, Max slowly scooted closer and closer to me. Within an hour, my arm was around her and her face was snuggled into my chest. Before we knew it, we were asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

When I woke up, I immediately felt guilty. We weren't just sleeping next to each other. She was on top of me, and my legs were wrapped around hers. I had no idea how we ended up like this.

I wanted to spend some time alone to regroup as soon as possible, but I couldn't move without disturbing Max. Seeing no better option, I continued to lie down and enjoy Max's warmth.

As time went on, all traces of guilt evaporated and I decided to savor the rest of the morning. Eventually, Max's deep breathing rocked me back asleep.

Some time later, I felt a heavy object land on my left hand. I bit back a curse as my middle finger throbbed. As my eyes shot open, I realized it was just Max rolling off of me. I slowly rolled her over again to remove my hand.

Even though I wasn't pinned to the ground anymore, I wished Max was still lying on me. It felt so comfortable and right. I tried hard to fight my instinct to lie back down next to Max.

Now that I was out from under her, I had time to take a look at my hand. It looked perfectly fine on the outside, but stung badly after getting rolled on by Max. Until then, it felt fine besides occasional minor throbbing. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing that it was healing, or a bad thing that it could be healing incorrectly.

Either way, there was nothing we could do about it now. We could explore until we found a town today. I needed the finger tape, and I was itching to talk to my friends. Also, what I thought was a plan for the future was about to come to pass: Max and Angel meeting each other. Okay, it was a meeting via telephone. But it was still better than waiting indefinitely until we had a chance to return to Phoenix.

Apparently, rolling off of me was a quick way to wake up, since Max was awake within ten minutes of her latest sleeping stunt. Max pulling stunts while asleep became a habit within the past few days.

"Good morning, Fang," she mumbled, behind me. I turned around.

"Mornin', Max," I said, handing her a can of tuna. Despite just waking up, she scarfed it down in three bites. After downing a can myself, we stood up and stretched quickly. We didn't necessarily have to go far today, we just needed to find a town. Also, we could slow down since we were out of Arizona.

Regardless of how minor the physical differences were, my state of mind drastically shifted. Rather than escaping from a prison, I felt like I was entering a new world. The pressing sense of urgency was gone. I didn't realize how tense I was until I could finally relax.

The most important part of not running fifty miles a day was no longer putting stress on my muscles. I didn't want to look weak to Max, but I suspected she knew that I was close to collapse. Even if Max hadn't suggested the day off, I was plannings to.

"Let's hit it," she said.

After bidding our small clearing goodbye, we jogged out to the path and started on our way north.

* * *

After no more than two hours of light jogging, we stumbled upon a city. According to the sign in front of it, the city was called Blythe.

"We should pick up a map here," Max suggested. I nodded.

"I gotta call Ella first," I said.

We walked in the city for a while, looking for a payphone. After an hour, I realized something.

"Max, we need change. All I have is bills."

"Why didn't we think of that earlier?" she said, sighing.

"Wait here. I'll get it," I said.

"I'll come with you, Fang. I can't let you mess things up, can I?" she said. Ignoring her insult, I started to make my way to the nearest department store. As I expected, Max followed me. After getting two dollars' worth of change and a map of California from the store, we continued our search for a payphone.

After two hours and several false alarms from Max, we finally found a telephone booth. I jogged towards it and opened the door. Max followed me inside.

I set my backpack down on the bench and pulled out Ella's phone number. I inserted the money and slowly entered the number on the keypad.

_RRRIIINGG!_

_RRRIIINGG!_

_RRRIIINGG!_

_RRRIIINGG!_

I sighed. No answer.

"It's all right. We can try again later. While we're here, how does getting some water sound?" Max said.

"Sounds pretty good to me. We should stay close, though." I felt a minor wave of frustration as I walked with Max to the store. I was really looking forwards to talking with my friends, and I would now have to wait. I wasn't usually an impatient person, but this was one thing I didn't want to postpone. I had a lot to say to them, and I didn't want to forget anything.

More than anything, I wanted my friends to respect my decision to leave. Regardless of whether they agreed or not, I didn't want them to be upset. Of course, I felt guilty for leaving them behind, but I saw an opportunity to leave my old life behind. I didn't regret taking it. Even before I met Max, I was far more content on my own, where I functioned best, than with my parents.

Despite being a naturally solitary person, I began to grow depressed on my own. After two weeks, I started to feel a slight hint of regret about leaving. All the guilt that came with running away came crashing down on me like a tsunami. After three weeks, the idea of suicide began to make itself comfortable in my mind.

Then, I met Max. She was perfect for my situation: a best friend to quell my loneliness. Whenever I wasn't alone, I felt best in a duo or small group. Even my group of four friends plus Angel was often overwhelming to me. Being with one person who was worked well with me was a perfect scenario. I couldn't have asked for a better cure for my depression.

"We're here," Max said, as we arrived at the store's door. I was so lost in thought I didn't notice that we had reached our destination. "What's up?" she asked me.

"I'm fine. Let's just go."

After getting our bottles refilled, we decided to hang out in the park until evening, when we could call Ella again. The payphone swallowed my fifty cents, and I only had six more quarters. I could always get more, but I wanted to conserve money as much as possible at this point. I already felt guilty enough about stealing money, but wasting it would be even more wrong. At least we were using every penny we had to survive.

By Max's request, we sat down at a picnic table and did our best to have a picnic. All we had rationed for the afternoon were an apple apiece, but it was good enough for us.

Between bites, Max asked me, "Do you ever regret leaving?" Looking around, I leaned in close to her so nobody would overhear me.

"Not in the beginning. At first, I was just happy to be away from home. After a few weeks, I got lonely. Then you came along." Max nodded, as if she was expecting that response. Really, what else could I say?

"Do_ you_ regret leaving?"

She didn't hesitate before responding, "Nope. I never regretted it for a second. Well, that's easy for me to say since I met you seven hours after I ran away. I'm not sure how long I would've lasted on my own. I never had a chance to try."

I smiled. "Promise me, Max, that you'll never do something that stupid again." She laughed.

"I promise," she said, tossing her apple core in the trash. I threw mine too, but missed the can completely. Max didn't bother stifling her laughter as I bent down and picked up the core.

"Hey, not fair. The trash can is closer to your side."

"Oh, yeah? I play basketball. This is child's play, rookie."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You bet!"

"It's on, Max!" I said with a grin. I took out two empty cans from my backpack and handed one to Max.

"Ladies first," I said. She shrugged and turned towards the trash can. With a quick, compact motion, she released the can.

_SWISH!_

As I expected, Max easily sunk the three-pointer. It conveniently made a swishing sound as it nestled in the plastic trash bag.

"Pressure's on, Fang." I concentrated and drew my hand back. With an efficient forward swipe, my can was on its way.

_TING!_

Dammit! It clanked off the side of the can and hit the ground. After picking up the can, I looked up to see Max's familiar smirk. I put up my hands.

"Thought so," Max said smugly. "Care for a rematch?"

"I'm fine. Why don't we head back to the telephone booth now?" Looking up at the sky, I realized the sun was already on its way down.

"Sure."

We walked the fifteen minutes between the park and the telephone booth in silence. When I reached the telephone booth, I silently prayed that Ella would pick up the phone this time.

After inserting another fifty cents, I slowly dialed her number.

_RRRRRIIIIINGGG!_

Please, please pick up.

_RRRRRIIIIINGGG!_

You better not make me wait again.

_RRRRRIIIIINGGG!_

Ella, just pick up the darn phone!

_RRRRRIIIIINGGG!_

Damn it!

"Hello?" the voice on the other end of the line said. Relief spread throughout my body as I heard Ella's familiar voice.

"Ella!" I nearly screamed.

"Fang? Is that you?" she said, excitement creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, it's me. How are things back at home?"

"It doesn't matter. Where are you? How's it going?"

"I'm in California now. Believe it or not, I've never been better. I met a girl named Max a little more than a week ago and we've been traveling together ever since.

"Really? Where'd you meet?"

"A sewer." Ella laughed.

"I should've guessed. Where exactly are you?"

"Blythe. Small city in Southern California. How is it back home?"

"It's been great! But we all miss you a ton, especially Angel. She's been spending most of her time with Nudge and I since you left." As she said that, I felt a small block of guilt in my heart melt away. Turns out, Angel didn't have to hold her own against our parents after all. Ella's parents were the nicest people in the world, and Ella and Nudge were the two best big sisters in the world. I knew she was in safe hands with the Amadors.

"How's Angel doing, by the way?"

"She's been doing great! She really, really, really misses you, though." And I really, really, really missed her, too. An idea popped into my head.

"Maybe you guys can visit me here."

"That'd be great! Where in Blythe are you?"

"It's not a big city. Just meet me in the park on the northeast side. How does tomorrow at six o'clock Pacific Time sound?"

"Sounds great. I'm not sure if I trust Iggy to drive three hundred miles, though," she said with a laugh.

"Maybe your mom could drive? I wouldn't mind seeing her too." Ella sighed.

"I'd like that, but she's out of town for the week. I guess Iggy and I could take turns driving."

"About that, how are you and Iggy doing?"

"He proposed to me! We're not getting married until after college, though." Iggy proposed? He was the kind of person who would use a ring as a detonator rather than a way to ask a girl to marry him. I was glad they were waiting until after college. Iggy was a great guy and all, but he's not ready for marriage, or even engagement. I was really happy for them, though. Iggy deserved a girl like Ella.

"That's great, Ella! I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks! By the way, Gazzy and Nudge are sorta-together now. Gazzy asked her out yesterday," Yes! We were always trying to get them together. I guess Iggy and Ella out-girled the girly girl on this one. "Anyway," Ella continued, "how's Max? What does she look like?"

"Same age as you. A little taller than you, light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and an amazing runner. She's a lot faster than me."

"Jeez! How did you guys meet, by the way?"

"I went into a sewer to sleep, and Max came and went in also. I was majorly creeped out."

"How romantic, meeting in a sewer." Wait, what? When did I ever say anything about romance? I recalled my last words, remembering nothing even remotely suggestive of a romance between Max and I.

"What the hell?"

"You heard me, Fang!"

"Ella, we're just friends."

"Fang!" I sighed. Here we go again…."you guys can't be just friends! You're traveling together! Who meets in a sewer? You guys have to be soulmates. Is she pretty?"

"Well, she's a nice person, unless I piss her off. Imagine a loud, female version of me. That's essentially Max."

"You didn't answer my question. Is she cute?"

Carefully not meeting Max's gaze, I responded, "Uh..yeah. I guess so. Maybe a little?" Ella made a tsk-tsk noise on the phone.

"Fang, you're totally in love with her."

"What the hell, Ella? I said we're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Denial is not a river in Egypt, Fang." I sighed. It was no use arguing with girls. Apparently, meeting Max in a sewer and thinking she's maybe a little cute means I'm head-over-heels in love with her. Do I understand girls? Nope. Will I ever try? Not a chance.

"Whatever, Ella."

"I'll have to meet this Max girl. By the way, is she with you?"

"Yeah. She's heard our whole conversation."

"Really? Can I talk to her?" I turned to Max. She held out her hand.

"Yeah, sure. By the way, can you get Angel? I need to talk to her."

"Of course! When I'm done with Max, I'll grab her. She's watching a movie downstairs with Nudge."

"Thanks, Ells." I handed the phone to Max and sat down.

"Hey, Ella?" Max said.

"Max! So, how's Fang?" Max laughed.

"He's cool. I feel bad for you guys, though. He can be incredibly annoying, as I found out." Ella giggled.

"Has he kissed you yet?"

"No! Of course not! Did you listen to a word Fang said about being just friends." Ella made a tsk-tsk noise. Again.

"You guys are both the same: in denial."

"Shut up, Ella! Just thirty seconds of talking to you, and I'm already getting sick of you," Max joked, laughing.

"Max, Max, Max. We have to talk in person. Anyways, how's it like on the run? I can't even imagine it."

"It's great! We left Arizona within a week."

"A week? Where do you live?"

"Tucson."

"Jeez! That's, like, four hundred miles!"

"Didn't Fang say I was faster than him?"

"Oh, yeah. Right. Anyways, how do you guys eat?"

"We just store food in our backpacks and eat them in forests."

"And where do you sleep?"

"Anywhere, really. As long as it's not near people, it's fine with us. We usually end up in forests, though."

"You guys are freaking lovebirds."

"Are not! How does eating sleeping in forests make us lovebirds?"

"You and Fang sleep together, right?" Max bit back a curse. Ella had her there. Despite myself, I couldn't help but chuckle at Max's awkward situation.

"Well-um, yeah. But we just need warmth. It's cold outside at night, Ella!" She giggled uncontrollably.

"Max! How does that not scream 'we're in love'?"

"Um, let's see. How about 'survival comes before dignity'?" I chuckled again. That was why I liked Max as a friend so much.

"Fine. But this conversation isn't over. We have to meet."

"Yeah, we really do. Nice talking to you, Ella. I'll let Fang and Angel talk."

"Sure. Nice talking to you too, Max. I can see why Fang chose you." Max sighed in annoyance. I didn't blame her one bit. Ella was awesome and all, but she didn't know when to just shut up. At least she didn't quite have Nudge's lungs. Regardless, talkativeness still really ran in the family.

Avoiding my eyes, Max handed me the phone.

"Angel?"

"Hold on," Ella said. "ANGEL! Get up here! It's a surprise!" A minute later, I heard Ella hand Angel the phone.

"Hello?" Angel said. My heart instantly warmed at hearing her voice. I didn't realize how much I missed hearing her talk every day.

"Angel! It's Fang."

"FANG! How's it going?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Besides missing you, it's actually been really nice. I've been basically living with Nudge and Ella, and mom and dad haven't even noticed. I wish you were here, though."

"Well, I have a surprise for you. Iggy's taking you guys to see us here in California." Angel gasped.

"Really? When?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"Sweet! I can't wait!" she exclaimed. "Hold on, you said _us._ Are you traveling in a group?"

"Long story short, I'm traveling with a girl named Max. Ella can fill you in."

"Ooh, a girl! What's she like?"

"I'll let you see for yourself tomorrow."

"Fine," she huffed. I laughed, a deep but light-hearted laugh nothing like Angel's.

"Do you mind doing me a favor before you come?"

"Of course! What do you need?"

"Can you bring me two or three spare outfits? I forgot to pack them when I left."

"Sure. Black, I assume?"

"Yeah. By the way, Max wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. One more thing; does she know about your singing talents?"

"Um, nope. See you tomorrow, Angel."

I handed the phone to Max, who had been silently observing us speak.

"Hey, Angel?"

"Max! How's Fang?"

"Except for when he's annoying, he's great." Angel laughed, a soft, high-pitched laugh of an angel, or an Angel.

"He is great. I wish he was still here, though," Angel said wistfully.

_I'm coming back for you, Angel._

"I don't blame you at all, Angel. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"I feel ya. I wish I could talk to you longer, but I gotta go now. Nudge is calling. Don't beat Fang up too badly, okay? I'd hate to have to save him again." Max echoed Angel's laugh with a nearly identical but lower-pitched one.

"See you later, Angel," Max said, hanging up. She turned towards me.

"That was…interesting, to say the least," she said.

"Yeah. Ella's always been on my case about being single, so of course she'll be pumped to hear I've been traveling with a girl. Girls are so weird sometimes." Max punched me in the arm.

"Hey!" she shouted.

I shrugged. "It's true." She looked at me.

"Was Angel telling the truth? Do you really sing?" she asked. I shrugged nonchalantly. She studied my face for several moments before moving on.

"Whatever, Fang. Let's just go to sleep. Don't think I've forgotten, though."

I opened the telephone booth's door for her. Before I could turn around, she punched me in the other arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I'm fully capable of opening a door, thank you very much," she said, matter-of-fact-ly. She stuck her tongue at me. Sighing, I let Max do the 'honors' of opening the glass door.

"Happy, Max?"

"Yes, Fang. Thanks for not being a sexist pig." Max smiled.

"You're very welcome for not being a gentleman."

"More like an egotistical, overprotective-"

"Max?" I interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." I usually got a kick out of arguing with Max, but I was too tired today. I was just focused on finding a place to stay the night.

About a mile from town, we found an out-of-the-way field. Even though we didn't have much natural protection, it was far enough from Blythe that we didn't have to worry about being found. Besides, we could just say we were camping if we were caught. Hopefully whoever finds us doesn't know Max was the girl in the news.

"Good night, Max."

"Good night, Fang," Max said, pulling out her diary. What did she even write in that thing? I have to see it one day.

Well, whatever. Sleep comes first.

My last thought before drifting off was:

_We forgot the finger tape._

* * *

FAXXXXXX! YAY! I spent forever on the Fax scene; hope you guys enjoyed it. :)

From this point on: There will likely be more hanging out and bonding between Max and Fang, rather than running, running, and more running. I'm sure you guys will enjoy it more. :)

**Question of the Chapter: Which would you prefer: action scenes or Fax scenes? I'm really leaving it up to you guys here.**

Big thank you to all reviewers! You guys really help motivate me to write faster! Despite the review count being lower the past few chapters, I appreciate the reviews I've gotten. Thank you again for inspiring me to continue!

Thanks for reading!

**P.S.: By the way: if anyone wants me to review their story with a detailed review on what was good/bad, I'd be more than happy to. Just drop me a message via review or PM and I'll hop to it. :) Please don't hesitate to ask me; I love reviewing others' stories!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Shout out to cutekitten1025 for being the 50th reviewer!**

**Btw: 3 people wanted Fax scenes and 1 person wanted action scenes. I'll include some action, but this story will be dominated by Fax. Please leave a message in my inbox/review board if you'd like more action.**

**Claimer of the Dis variety: I don't own the characters.**

**Er of the Claim variety: I do own the story. Does this really matter? Oh yeah, _I also own each and every one of the very numerous OC's_. :P Just kidding.**

* * *

**Max's POV**

_If we're not just friends, and we're not lovers either, what are we?_

I pondered that question to no end after I carefully wrote it in my diary. Fang and I weren't just friends. That much was obvious. If he was just a friend, we wouldn't be able to practically read each other's minds. Our relationship wasn't even one of best friends. We were….different than that.

Try as I may, I couldn't come up with an answer. I couldn't stand being confused about how I felt. But as long as Fang was with me, not knowing how I felt about him was bearable. If nothing else, I knew Ella was wrong. I was most definitely not in love with Fang.

I really couldn't explain my feelings at this point. I felt strangely drawn towards him, for some reason. Two days ago, I randomly grabbed his hand and buried my face into him. I had no idea why I did it. It just felt subconsciously right. The weirdest part was that Fang didn't push me away. He pulled me closer and gripped my hand harder. What was up with that?

The next morning, I already regretted it. It was embarrassing enough in itself, not counting the fact that I rolled on Fang's hand and re-injured it. Besides, how the heck did I roll on his hand? Was I…on top of him? No, that couldn't have been possible. I guess I just rolled a bit aggressively and landed on his finger.

Eventually, I decided the best course to take was to just forget it ever happened. Hopefully Fang would overlook it, too.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't deny feeling my heart skip a beat whenever Fang smiled. How did he have this kind of power over me?

_If we're not just friends, and we're not lovers either, what are we?_

My question replayed in my mind until I drifted off at last, away from my problems into a world that never was and never will be in which confusion didn't exist.

* * *

When I woke up, my first thought was, _cold_.

Fang fell asleep several feet away from me last night, and I missed his warmth. Yesterday marked the first time in nearly a week I didn't sleep next to Fang. I hoped he wouldn't mind this..

As quietly as I could, I stood up from behind where Fang was standing and slowly inched towards him. Several steps before I reached him, I prepared to jump him. He always had enough body heat to spare.

Just after my feet left the ground, Fang sidestepped me and whipped around. I triumphantly hit my face on the tree Fang was standing next to.

"Ow!" I exclaimed. Fang smirked.

"I cannot be snuck up on. What do you need, anyways?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Give your friend a hug, Fang. She's freezing," I said, rubbing my face. I felt a small groove on my nose with a small flake of tree bark in it. Stupid Fang.

"All right. You could've just asked, you know," he said, opening his arms.

As I stepped into them, I said, "But that's no fun." When he wrapped his arms around me, I immediately felt his warmth spread through my body. I pulled in closer to him to heat up as fast as possible. Even though he hadn't showered for a week, he didn't smell bad at all. He had a nature-like smell that felt so much like _home_.

After a minute of hugging Fang, I reluctantly pulled back. Even though I wasn't cold anymore, I didn't want to let him go. His arms just felt so…revitalizing. My morning drowsiness was replaced with complete awareness within one minute. Something must've been up, since I was usually a zombie until breakfast. There was definitely something special about Fang. Then again, I knew that since day one.

We sat down on a thick log running parallel to the hill and took out our breakfasts. Fang snagged us a pair of forks at the store we robbed, so we didn't have to eat with our hands anymore. I was a bit wary about stealing luxuries like utensils, but Fang told me we needed it so we didn't get sick. I didn't question Fang's morals and just went with it.

Even though I was usually a faster eater than him, Fang scarfed down his breakfast faster than I could take three bites. He had a slightly panicked look in his eyes, like he had somewhere to be. He stuffed the empty can in his backpack.

"Fang? What's the rush? It's not even noon yet," I said. Fang shook his head.

"It's not that. I forgot about getting the finger tape yesterday." I stared at him.

"You're kidding…" I trailed off, knowing he was right. After all the planning we did, how could we just forget? I was no expert in broken bones, but I figured three days was an awfully long time to wait to tape a broken finger.

"Doesn't matter right now. Let's get going, though." I nodded quickly and went back to my food. After finishing, I met Fang at the top of the hill where he was already waiting.

In the town, we decided to head to the same store as yesterday, since it seemed large and likely to have tape. This time, I made sure I got in first so Fang couldn't embarrass me by holding the door. I knew he didn't mean any harm with it, and he was just trying to be nice, but I couldn't stand it. I absolutely hated needing help or feeling inferior to someone else. Like Fang, my fatal flaw was hubris. Fortunately, I learned to somewhat control it at home. I had to swallow my pride on numerous occasions when at the mercy of my parents. Frustration was a small price to pay compared to getting hurt.

As we were browsing through the shelves, I came across a roll of green electrical tape. It looked pretty sturdy, so I decided to show it to Fang.

"Hey, would this work?" I said, holding out the tape. Fang stared at me as if I was crazy. "What?" I questioned defensively. Fang let out a small chuckle.

"Max. You realize that's green?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with green?" He gestured to himself.

"Look at me."

"Um, you're ri-I mean wearing black?" I shut my mouth quickly. As much as I hoped Fang didn't hear my slip-up, I had no doubt he did. Thankfully, I didn't say anything too bad. He knew he was ripped, so it shouldn't have come as any surprise. I was glad I didn't say _cute_, or god forbid, _hot_.

"See?" he said. I shook my head, becoming slightly frustrated with Fang.

"Nope."

"Max, I just don't wear green. It's a simple fact." I stared at him.

"Does it really matter, Fang?"

"Well, yeah, it does. Considering it's electrical tape we're talking about."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It doesn't stick. Unless we want to use up the whole roll within a day, we should probably get some sort of cloth tape."

"Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because that's no fun," Fang said, in a pretty good imitation of my voice. He winked. I felt my annoyance suddenly surge. Without thinking, I slapped him across the face. Unfortunately, I hit him harder than I meant to. Fang stepped backwards, clutching his cheek.

"Fang! I'm sorry, I didn't-" I said, covering my mouth.

Fang cut me off. "It's fine. But we might want to get a pack of ice for that," he said, smiling slightly.

"You're not serious, right?"

"Nope."

"Good." I turned around to look for a better tape for Fang. I sifted through the shelves, looking for a cloth tape. That's what Fang said, right? Or was it a gauze tape? Nah, it couldn't have been. That doesn't exist. Wait, does it? You know what? I'll just let Fang find his own tape.

"Found it?" I said.

"Nope," he muttered, pushing several packages aside. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young employee appear in our aisle and walk towards us. She was hardly in appropriate attire for an employee with her short skirt and ripped tank top. Her name tag read _Lissa_.

"Hey, can I help you with anything?" she said to Fang, flashing him a sweet smile.

"I'm fine," Fang responded.

"There must be_ something _I can help you with," Lissa purred. She inched closer to him, deliberately sticking her chest in his face. That did it. The surge of protectiveness in me became a geyser of bitterness. Before Fang could respond, I stepped in front of her and gave her my best death stare.

"Stay out of our way! Who the hell are you?" I yelled at her. Unfazed, she looked around me and batted her eyelashes at Fang.

"Hey, can you go shop somewhere else? I need to talk with him," she said, motioning to Fang.

"Uh, nope. I don't listen to skanks," I said. She ignored me.

"You _are_ single, right?" Lissa said, smiling at Fang. He cleared his throat.

"I don't have a girlfriend, but I do have standards," he said firmly. Lissa's mouth dropped open. Raising my eyebrows at her, I grabbed Fang's arm and led him away from the girl. She gave me the finger.

"Let's just get back to finding tape," he decided, making his way back over to the shelves of tape. Thankfully, Lissa had left. To seduce other guys, I had no doubt. I followed Fang back to the tape. On the outside, I displayed a mask of impassive calmness, but I was seething with anger on the inside. I mean, who did she think she was?

After a few minutes of searching, Fang finally found a box of brown cloth tape. We paid and left the store. According to a clock, it was 3:19 P.M., giving us nearly three hours to walk one mile to the park.

While we waited for Ella, Angel, and the rest of Fang's friends, Fang wanted to tape his finger at the picnic tables. He seemed to know what he was doing, and he was satisfied with his work within five minutes.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Fang smirked.

"Some of us actually pay attention during health class."

"Do you want me to slap you again?"

"Nope."

"Thought so," I said, grinning. He rolled his eyes and took out two apples.

"I'm feeling it today, Max." This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes. I didn't know he was so eager to get his butt kicked. Again.

After he ate his apple, Fang stood up and fired a shot at the trash can. This time, he missed the can completely. The core bounced in front of the trash can. Pathetic. I clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Just then, something occurred to me.

"Maybe I should change, Fang. We still have two hours until Ella's coming," I said, standing up. Shrugging, Fang followed me out of the park and back to town. I quickly changed into a blue t-shirt and jeans in a bathroom.

"You look great," Fang remarked, as I stepped out.

My cheeks reddened. "Thanks," I said, forcing a smile.

"I'm not kidding, Max." Way to make things complicated, Fang. Wonderful job.

"Yeah, okay. Let's just go," I said quickly, not meeting his eyes. We made it back to the park well before six, giving us time to relax for a few minutes before Ella came. I was really curious to know what they looked like. Fang gave me a description of each of them, but there were millions of people who fit each description. I needed faces.

After several minutes of anxious waiting, Fang suddenly stood up.

"FANG!" several voices chorused from behind me. I whipped around to see five kids running towards us. Fang was grinning. As the approached, Angel jumped up and tackled Fang in a hug. She really was adorable. The reunited siblings hugged each other for nearly a minute, and broke apart. When Angel let go, she skipped towards me. She looked me up and down with her big, blue eyes that could melt even Vladimir Putin's heart.

"Max?" I smiled and nodded. She hesitantly stepped forwards as well. I picked her up and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She looked nothing like Fang, but their hugs both comforted me all the same. Meanwhile, Fang and the blonde boy were doing the half-hug bro handshake that guys do. Fang gave the pretty brown-haired girl, which I assumed was Ella, a small hug and ruffled Gazzy and Nudge's hair. Everyone looked happy to see him.

Ella looked at me, and then back at Fang. "She's gorgeous! And you know it!" she said playfully, getting in Fang's face. My cheeks reddened, and Ella knew it. Her eyes flitted between Fang and I as her smile grew.

"Oh, drop it, Ella. Will you?" Fang said, uncomfortably fiddling with his jacket.

"Fine. But you lied to me, Fang. She's beautiful, not maybe a little cute." Fang suddenly took interest in his black sneakers.

"Here, Fang. Everything's in here. I also brought your watch, in case you needed it," Angel said, handing Fang a big bag.

"Thanks, Angel. Wanna sit down, guys?" Fang said, leading us to the picnic table. Everyone followed him and sat down. Ella and Iggy were holding hands. Gazzy and Nudge were in that awkward pre-dating stage that all thirteen-year-old couples go through. They looked cute together, though.

When we sat down, Nudge didn't hesitate to speak. "So, Max! Ella told me about you yesterday. Um, she didn't tell me what your personality was though. All she said was that Fang thought you were hot. You are! You guys should, like, _totally _get together. Fang always needed a good girlfriend. He used to date weird girls. But he was way too good for them! He needs someone wh-" Gazzy clamped his hand over Nudge's mouth, sighing. Nobody acted like Nudge's speech was out of place, though. I guess I had quite a bit of learning to do when it came to the ways of Fang's friends. My ears were ready to fall off.

Iggy cleared his throat. "Anyways, how's it going, Fang? Ella told me a little but I need to hear it from the man himself."

"Besides missing you guys, it's actually been great. I've learned a lot, had some fun, and made a new _friend_." He emphasized the word _friend_ for Ella's sake, I presumed. "I can come back someday, perhaps."

"Whatever makes you happy, man. You better invite me to your wedding, though," Iggy said, looking at me. Fang took a deep, deliberate, and careful breath, causing Ella to giggle. "Hey, don't blame me! Wedding food is good!" Iggy said. This time, everyone laughed. Even Fang chuckled.

Fang turned to Angel. "Found any boys you like yet?" Angel cringed.

"Eeew, no way!" Everyone laughed again.

"Ella and I are definitely going to set her up, though! I mean, Angel's gorgeous! How can Angel the angel not have a boyfriend? It's simple logic. Angel should definitely get together with someone. How about Shaw Akers? The blonde guy in your class?" Nudge said. I breathed a sigh of relief when she finished her speech.

Angel's rosy cheeks reddened. "Um…." she said quietly. She was so cute, it melted my heart. Nudge and Ella exchanged a glance and broke into grins.

Gazzy spoke up. "Max, Fang, how did you guys meet?"

"Well, I needed a place to sleep on my first night away, so I went into a sewer. I was going to go to sleep, but Fang appeared out of nowhere and interrupted me," I said.

"Actually," Fang interjected, "if I remember correctly, I was there first. Max was the one who came down and crashed my party."

"Anyways, that was ten days ago. We were fifty miles from Tucson then, and we ran here."

Iggy whistled. "You guys _ran_ all the way here?" I nodded. Suddenly, Nudge gasped. We all looked at her.

"ZOMG! Taylor Swift is dating again!" she squealed, looking up from her phone.

"Who was it this time?" Ella said, bored. Nudge looked back at her phone, tapped a few buttons, and even shook her phone. What was that supposed to do? Break it? I'd never had a cell phone before, so I wasn't one to talk. But I was pretty sure shaking a phone didn't do anything.

"Umm…um…" Nudge looked up with wide eyes. "It's Harry again! If last time was trouble, this is double trouble." I stared at her. Harry? Who was that? I decided I didn't want to know.

Iggy stood up. "Who's up for some ice cream?" he said, deliberately changing the subject.

"ME!" Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy screamed. Fang, Ella, and I looked at each other.

"Why the hell not," Ella said, shrugging.

* * *

Half an hour later, we were all sitting back at the picnic table with an ice cream cone each courtesy of Iggy. As we talked, I began to like Fang's friends more and more. According to Iggy, they called themselves a Flock because Angel had a dream about them having wings. Even though I just met them, I felt like I belonged with the Flock. I was so thankful they offered to visit us here.

The part I liked best about them was their chemistry. Despite their age differences, they had enough in common that they could hang out as one group. I always yearned for a family like this one.

While Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel watched videos on Nudge's iPhone, Ella, Iggy, Fang, and I talked.

"So, why'd you leave, Max?" I tensed. I wanted to tell them badly, but I just couldn't bring myself to. It was painful enough telling Fang. Even then, I barely managed to choke out my life story before collapsing into Fang's arms.

"Family problems," I told him. It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth. Thankfully, Iggy could tell that I wasn't ready to share my past.

"That sucks. Well, so much for opposites attracting. Fang and you are practically identical."

"That's not true. Fang is really annoying, and he has dark hair."

"Besides that. Well, I guess opposites do attract in that regard," Iggy commented thoughtfully.

"Attract? You don't mean…" Fang said. Iggy laughed.

"Yep. I do." I groaned.

"Both of you? Really? Do we look like a couple to you?" I asked. Everyone except Gazzy assumed we were together, and he probably thought that to himself as well. Why did they think that? Iggy held out his arms and made a rectangle with his fingers, as if taking a picture of us. I scowled.

"Yep, looks like a couple to me." I turned to Ella and raised my eyebrows.

"Yep. I'm with the Igster on this one."

"Speaking of being with Iggy, how's the engaged life?" Fang asked, changing the subject.

Ella beamed. "It's wonderful," she said, squeezing Iggy's hand.

"It's great, but I did have to find a new detonator for the stink bomb Gazzy was making since I gave Ella the ring." Ella giggled and quickly kissed his cheek.

"By the way, guys, can I talk to Fang alone for a minute?" Ella asked. Nobody objected as she and Fang stood up and went to a different table. That left Iggy and I.

After making sure nobody was listening, Iggy leaned across the table and asked me, "Max, you don't have to lie to me. I won't tell a soul. Do you like Fang as more than a friend?"

I didn't hesitate before replying. "Nope," I said.

"You're lying."

"I'm not! I swear I don't love Fang. Not in that way, at least." Iggy grinned.

Iggy whispered, "Max, you are in love with Fang. Whether you realize it or not. I can read people like open books, and it's obvious to me that you and Fang are in love with each other."

"No! I'm not in love with him! We're just friends, Iggy. Besides, how would I be in love with him without realizing it?" Iggy just chuckled.

"Wait and see, Max. Wait and see."

"Well, I hope you don't put any money on it. Or else you won't be able to buy us ice cream next time." Iggy laughed lightheartedly.

"I'm not a serious person, but in all seriousness, you and Fang _will_ get together. Just trust me on this. Ask Angel. She can practically read minds and tell the future."

"Angel!" I yelled. Her head whipped up from Nudge's phone, sending her long, blonde, curly hair through the air.

"What do you think is happening between Fang and I?"

"A romance. What else?" she said innocently, as if it was obvious.

"No, seriously."

"I was serious. You guys love each other, even if you're too stubborn to admit or realize it."

"Angel, dear, don't listen to everything Iggy tells you." She shook her head.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said. I was dumfounded. How was it _obvious_ that Fang and I, who weren't in love, loved each other?

"Told ya!" Iggy whooped, his inner ten-year-old making an appearance.

"You guys are so weird.."

"We are, but we're right about this. And for the record, I definitely would bet on it," Angel said.

"Whatever, guys." Angel and Iggy exchanged a glance, and burst out laughing simultaneously. Despite driving me nuts, it gave me an insight to just how close the Flock's members were with each other. Iggy and Angel were on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of age and gender, and it was obvious they knew each other like the back of their hands. It wouldn't have surprised me if Fang and Iggy could read each other's minds.

As if reading my mind, Angel said, "Don't be surprised. We've known each other for our whole lives. We can all basically read each other's minds." I stared at her.

"I guess you can read my mind also," I said. She shrugged.

"I've always been the perceptive one of the group. Gazzy used to call me a telepath." That reminded me. I wanted to talk to all of Fang's friends, even Gazzy and Nudge.

"Yo, Gazzy? How's your latest bomb project going?" I asked. He grinned evilly.

"Glad you asked. Iggy and I were planning to set off a massive series of smoke bombs around Fang's house, so nobody can tell where the door was. We still have to get more sulfur, though. If Iggy didn't buy that ring for Ella, we'd have enough."

"Hey, we just gotta take it slow. We can still pull this off. Just gotta pick up a few bucks at the coffee shop. We still need that transmitter, though. I don't have time to make one this week," Iggy said.

"It's fine, I can do that part. Do you have that spare motherboard from your science fair project?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? If we wire it to enough targets, it could blow up the city. Do you really think I'd lose that?" I stared at him in shock.

"_Blow up the city?_" I asked. What were they, ingenious pyromaniacs? Probably. Gazzy looked at me.

"Oh, we'd never do that. But we could, if we ever need to. We've never destroyed anything by accident."

"What about the rosebush in front of Fang's house?" Iggy said, raising his eyebrows.

"Ok, fine. I dropped a micro-transmitter there. But it's never happened besides that. And that was a small mistake," Gazzy said.

"Where do you guys get all this stuff?" I asked.

"We usually make it from scratch. But sometimes we get our complicated circuitry online," Iggy answered.

"Or you guys steal it from my parents. Not that I'm complaining, of course," Fang answered. We all turned towards him. He and Ella were back from their little chat.

"Dude, did you tell Max about the eternal geyser?" Iggy said to Fang.

"Nope." Iggy's eyes lit up.

"Well, we needed to get Anne back for whacking Fang, so we played around with her pipe system a little. We repositioned a few tubes here and there, and put explosives in other places. We timed them to go off in order, so Anne would get sprayed by water wherever she went. It was priceless," Iggy said. I shook my head.

"You guys are crazy. Glad I'm not on your bad side," I said.

"Yeah, I'm glad, too," Ella said. "Fang told me that you could beat him up any day."

"He's right. I can beat him up," I said, looking at Fang. He just shrugged.

"I'm getting tired, guys. Wanna stay the night with us in our oh-so-comfortable forest nearby?" Fang asked.

"Sure," Ella said, shrugging. Everyone else seemed okay with it as well.

"One sec, guys. What happened to your hand, Fang?" Iggy asked. Fang looked embarrassed, but he told Iggy what happened.

"A manhole cover, man? Really?" Iggy asked. Fang looked down and refused to comment.

"Let's get going. It's about two miles from here," Fang decided. As we walked, Ella and Iggy talked quietly with each other, Gazzy and Nudge were taking pictures of themselves, and Fang offered to give Angel a piggyback ride. I was touched by the affection he showed towards Angel. It didn't really fit in with his 'tough guy' image, but I liked that part of him nonetheless. When we arrived at our clearing, we all lay down to sleep. Gazzy and Nudge slept about a foot apart, thankfully, Ella and Iggy slept next to each other, and Angel lay between Fang and I. After we said our 'good night's, I took out my diary to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_I wish this day would never end. Fang told me his friends were great, but I didn't think I'd feel like I belonged with them as much as I do. Talking with them feels so natural and normal. Besides the constant pestering about Fang and I being together, I feel perfectly in place with them. I can act naturally, and they accept me for who I am. I don't want them to leave tomorrow. _

_One thing still bothers me, though. Something Iggy and Angel said earlier._

_"Max, you are in love with Fang. Whether you realize it or not."_

_"You guys love each other, even if you're too stubborn to admit or realize it."_

_What was that supposed to mean? I think I'd know if I was in love with somebody. And I'm pretty sure I'm not in love with Fang. Nah, I'm very sure. Even though I'm a stubborn person, I'm not denying anything when I say we're just friends. Still, Iggy's words bothered me. He looked like was telling the truth, despite how absurd it was. Could I be in love with Fang without realizing it? For that matter, could Fang be in love with me without realizing it?_

_Love,_

_Max_

* * *

**By the way: If anyone couldn't tell, Iggy is NOT blind. I accidentally said he was earlier, but it's corrected now. My apologies, readers.**

**Question of the Chapter: I'll try to give you guys long chapters every 4 days, but if I can't, would you guys prefer long chapters (~3,000-4,500 words) once a week or short chapters (~2,000-3,000 words) every 4-5 days? **

**By the way, if anyone finds errors in the story, please tell me! I want to make the story as clean as possible.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy late Independence Day to all Americans! Sorry for the late update.**

**Shout out to Don't Insult Oliver's Cupcakes for the 75th review! **

**Two people wanted short chapters, two wanted long, and two didn't care. I guess I'll let whatever happens happen. Thanks for the feedback!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. JP does.**

* * *

**Fang's POV**

I woke up to the sound of my friends' laughter, and unfortunately I could see why they were laughing. Max and I were lying in each other's arms, and even though I wasn't thinking clearly, I knew that it was their doing. Angel had been lying between us last night, and people couldn't randomly disappear in their sleep. Besides, Angel was laughing along with everyone else. I quickly let go of Max and sat up.

"Really, guys?"

"What?" Iggy asked, feigning innocence. I shook my head, unamused.

"Low blow, guys, low blow. Who did this?" I watched as everyone's fingers flew in a frenzy, directed at anyone but themselves.

Finally, amidst her laughter, Ella spoke up. "It was all of us. We needed you guys to realize your true love for each other before we left."

"_True love?_" I demanded. I instantly regretted it. Ella, Nudge, and Angel all bobbed their heads in unison as if they'd been practicing it. Iggy and Gazzy chuckled at the girls' antics.

"Say what you want now, but call me back in a month and tell me how it's going," Ella said. I rolled my eyes, not buying anything she said.

Next to me, Max groaned and slowly sat up. Her hair was a mess, possibly because my hands had been in it all night_._ Thanks a lot, 'friends'. At least Max didn't give a damn about her hair.

"Why is everyone laughing?" Max asked us, "and why is my hair messed up?" Everyone burst out laughing, sans Max and I. Max stared at us obliviously. "Someone better start talking!" she demanded. Unfortunately, no one was in a position to talk. The girls were laughing so hard that they were practically choking, Iggy and Gazzy would never ruin any kind of prank, and there was no way in hell that I would be the one to spill.

After she had calmed down enough to speak in full sentences, Angel finally told Max what had happened. She stared at all of my friends in turn, then at me,

"I didn't want to do that again!" she cried. Realizing her mistake, her hands flew to her mouth. _Dammit, Max. _What was up with her and all the slip-ups recently? She went from saying I was ripped to telling my friends this wasn't our first time sleeping in each other's arms?

"You two are so cute!" Nudge squealed. Giggling, the three girls eagerly whispered amongst themselves. They talked too quickly and quietly for me to understand, but I did catch _wedding plans_.

"All right," Angel began, "we've deemed you two the cutest couple in the world, even better than Ella and Iggy." Ella blushed but didn't say anything for once.

"And _I've_ deemed that you guys should shut up now," Max said, not amused in the least. "By the way, _for the last time, _why is my hair messed up?"

"Yeah, Fang, why is her hair messed up?" Ella asked me. Realizing what Ella meant, Max turned to face me.

"Fang!?" she gasped.

"It was them!" I said. Thankfully, Max seemed to believe me. If she didn't believe me…let me just say it wouldn't be pretty for anyone involved.

Making a heart shape with her hands, Ella said, "You guys are so cute! You act just like a married couple!"

"Well, I don't see you and Iggy doing this crap," Max mumbled.

"That's true," Ella admitted, "we just don't show as much PDA as you and Fang do." My jaw dropped open, and so did Max's. We stared in shock as the girls burst into a new round of giggles.

"Let's just get breakfast," Iggy decided, saving us from further embarrassment. I mouthed him a silent _thank you_ as I stood up. He mouthed back, _Don't mention _it. Thankfully, our bro code trumped his desire to annoy Max and me further.

As we walked back to the city, Max interrogated Nudge and Gazzy for details on their relationship, in hopes of humiliating them in return. And as much as I would have liked to see it work, it just wasn't the same. She didn't have the kind of practice Ella and Nudge did at this kind of thing. Needless to say, Max didn't learn anything from Gazzy and Nudge during her interrogation. Since Nudge did 90% of the talking, it came as no surprise to me. She'd make a great lawyer. The prosecutors wouldn't be able to get a word in.

"So, what do you guys feel like eating?" Iggy asked us.

"Ooh! Is there a Dunkin Donuts anywhere?" Nudge suggested enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Left turn in a half mile or so, then it'll be on our right," Max said. She apparently was paying attention when we walked around the city yesterday. I hadn't. I'd be hard-pressed to rack my mind for the location of the department store, much less some Dunkin Donuts we'd never been to.

As we walked, I couldn't help but notice how happy Iggy and Ella were. Iggy seemed a lot more laid-back, and Ella's eyes were full of happiness. As annoying as they had been, I felt really happy for them. Their relationship was a steady one without much chaos. Even before they got engaged, I figured marriage was bound to happen.

Nudge and Gazzy were tentatively holding hands and talking. For once, Nudge showed signs of being tongue-tied. I had to learn his secret for silencing her. Unfortunately, it probably involved getting Nudge to like him, and there was no way I was going to do that.

As they were walking, Nudge suddenly broke away from Gazzy's grip and walked to me. "Fang! After we get food, my mom wanted to video chat you. You guys were, like, BFF's! You have to-"

"Yeah, I got it. Will do," I said, cutting Nudge off before she could get on a roll. I did want to talk to Dr. Amador, though. She was basically a mother to me. I came to her if I ever needed help with anything, and she often checked in with me to make sure her daughters weren't taking things too quickly with their boyfriends. Besides helping each other, we were like friends, in a way. We talked all the time, about anything ranging from Iggy's latest destructive prank to Dr. Amador's uncooperative patients. She was the one person with whom I could be honest with and pretend around. Even though we were both usually busy, we always made time for each other.

"Yo, Fang," Iggy said, approaching me. "Can I give you my number? If the girls are busy PMS-ing and I need a bro to talk to, you're the man."

"That'd be nice. I don't have a phone, though. I just use payphones."

"Yeah, I figured. But for what it's worth, here it is," he said, handing me a piece of paper. I looked over it, expecting to see Iggy's phone number. Instead, I saw a column of maybe five different unlabeled phone numbers.

"It's the top one. The other ones are Nudge, my mom, Ella's mom, and Gazzy," Iggy explained. That made sense. I was thankful I had the others' numbers too, in case I needed them. I just hoped I could remember which one was which.

"Oh, all right. Thanks, Ig."

"No prob, bro," he said, wiping his sunglasses on his shirt. "By the way, how do you afford to eat?"

"You've forgotten so soon? I used to work at the coffee shop with you. I picked up a few bucks there."

"It's lasted this long?"

"Nah, Max and I lifted a few bucks from a cashier a while back."

Iggy grinned and slapped me on the back as he put his sunglasses back on. "That's my man!"

"Ella won't like to hear that."

Iggy chuckled. "Dude, that's my move. But they say imitation is the best form of flattery."

"I'm pretty sure becoming a crazy pyromaniac isn't one of my life dreams."

"I don't know, Fang, but you seemed like you were enjoying it when you helped us with the eternal geyser."

"That was because it was revenge on Anne, not because I'm a pyromaniac."

"Whatever you say," Iggy said coolly, shrugging. "So are we eating or what?" Everyone was already at the entrance, impatiently waving at Iggy and me to join them.

"Sorry, guys," Iggy said.

"Don't mention it. Besides, none of us brought any money," Max said.

Iggy shrugged. "What are we waiting for? Let's get ordering!" We all ordered our breakfasts; Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel got two donuts apiece, Ella and Max got bagels, and Iggy and I got grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Mmm…this is so good," Nudge said, chewing a bite of her donut. Second to Gazzy, food was the best way to silence Nudge.

As we ate, Iggy asked me quietly, "So, how'd you guys lift the cash?"

"Tricked the cashier to go to the backroom. Max ran behind the counter and swiped a few bucks." Iggy whistled.

"Damn. I wish I'd been there for that."

"I wish I hadn't been there for it."

"Why not? It sounds fun. At least more fun than running fifty miles a day," Iggy said.

"You have a point, my friend."

"As always. So, wanna talk to Dr. Amador now?"

"Yeah, sure," I said. "Nudge?" She looked up eagerly. Her mouth was ringed in pink strawberry frosting. "Can you call your mom now?" I asked.

"Yeah! Just a minute," she said, taking out her purple-cased iPhone. She tapped the screen several times and handed the phone to me. On the screen, Dr. Amador's face was looking right at me. When she saw me through the camera, she gasped excitedly.

"Fang?"

"Yep. How's life back home?"

"It's great, but that's not important! Are you all right? Do you have enough to eat?"

"Dr. A! I'm fine, really. I met somebody a week ago and I'm traveling with her. I'm sure Ella and Nudge will fill your ears talking about her."

"Oh, really? Is she your girlfriend?" I let out an exasperated sigh. She provided Ella and Nudge with genes, after all.

"Nope. We're just close friends, even if your daughters don't agree."

"I see," she said, sounding disappointed. As irritating as I found it, I wasn't surprised in the least. The three Amadors were the ones to whom I went for advice when it came to girls. Dr. Amador always thought that me having a girlfriend would be a 'healthy' and 'positive' experience. She was like a mother to me, which had its positives and negatives. The positives included her caring about me, sometimes letting me grab a bite with her family, and offering emotional support whenever I needed it. The negatives included being pushy about my relationship status, and….that was pretty much it. It was safe to say the positives greatly outweighed the negatives.

"Well, Ella and Nudge are always known to be right about these things," she said.

"There's a first time for everything."

She sighed. "That's true. I'm glad I was able to teach you something! Anyways, I have to visit you and your girlf-I mean your friend soon. What's her name?" Something told me she didn't almost say 'girlfriend' by accident.

"Max."

"I thought you said it was a girl," she said, a hint of horrified panic in her voice.

"She is a girl. Max is short for Maxine."

"Thank goodness!"

"Why? Do you have a problem with me hanging out with another guy?"

"No, I don't. It's just…never mind. I should get going now, Fang. I miss you tremendously, and I wish to see you sometime."

"Later," I said.

"Good luck and good fortune," she said, ending the call. I handed the phone back to Nudge.

"My name is not short for Maxine, I'll have you know," Max said.

"Really? Then what is it?" I said.

"Maximum."

"Oh, that's right. You told me a while back."

"You didn't even bother to remember my name? What kind of friend are you?" I shrugged. Since she always called herself 'Max', remembering 'Maximum' seemed like an unimportant detail. Then again, girls expected guys to remember every single detail about them.

After Angel finished the last of her chocolate donut, Ella announced that they had to leave. Gazzy and Nudge had soccer games and Ella and Iggy had a date. Oops, I mean a 'fun event'.

"See ya later, man," Iggy said, giving me a bro hug.

"Thanks for visiting, guys," I said, "and thanks for the food, Ig."

"No problem."

"Nice seeing you again, Fang," Ella said, giving me a hug. Admittedly, I stood rather stiffly while she awkwardly hugged me. Hugging people just didn't come naturally to me, except when it was with Max or Angel. Unless you counted bro hugs with Iggy.

After Ella let go of me, Angel threw her arms around me and whispered, "Call me sometime. When you're alone." I nodded and hugged her back. I was willing to wager she wanted to talk about Max. Unlike Nudge and Ella, who just wanted to see me get a girlfriend, Angel did usually have good advice for me.

I gave Nudge and Gazzy fist bumps as Ella exchanged a long hug with Max. As different as they were, they acted like sisters. I'd never noticed it before, but they even looked really similar; they both had light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Looking at them next to each other, I wasn't sure why I hadn't noticed their similarities earlier. The only explanation I could think of was their drastic difference in personality. Ella was always sweet and was generally a passive person. Max was definitely nice, but she was more aggressive and pugnacious than Ella. I got along with Ella just fine, but Max and I were more compatible as a duo. If I got into a fight or argument, Max was the one I wanted by my side.

After Max and Angel said their goodbyes, Iggy whistled and shook his keys to get everyone's attention. "See you guys later!" he called, walking towards his car. Max and I waved goodbye to him as his car faded from our view.

"So…" Max began awkwardly, "guess it's just us again."

"Yeah." Honestly, I missed being alone with Max. I wanted to see my friends a lot, but I never realized how much Max's company meant to me until I went a day exchanging few words with Max. I missed her sarcastic attitude and trademark glare. Oddly, I felt as though I had known Max longer than the Flock.

"What's in the backpack Angel gave you?" I shrugged, slipping it off my shoulder. Angel told me it was just clothes and a watch, but the bag was far too big and heavy for just that. I unzipped it and undid the flap. As I shoveled the clothes to the side of the bag, I realized what was in the middle: my black Alienware laptop. I grinned, pulling it out.

When Max saw it, she gasped. "Is that….a laptop?" she said in awe. I nodded and handed it to her. She slowly opened it, being careful to not drop it. After checking it out for a minute, she closed it and handed it back to me. I set it on the ground and looked through the rest of my backpack. Several pairs of clothes, my watch, some money, the laptop's power cord, and a small cardboard box were inside. I took out the box and stuffed my laptop back inside. When I saw what was in the box, I let out a small laugh. It should've come as no surprise. I shook my head and showed it to Max, who took it from my hands and peered inside.

"Angel! You-you-" Max stuttered, dropping the box. A fake plastic wedding ring fell out. Well played, Angel.

"Max," I said, deliberately changing the subject. "Maybe we should check on your criminal status now. We just need a place with Wi-Fi since I have my laptop now."

"My criminal status?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. We should probably continue north before the police figure out where you are. They probably don't expect you to be this far away from Tucson already."

She sighed. "You're right. We should leave this afternoon. But I'll miss this city."

"I will, too," I said, and I meant it. We'd stayed here longer than anywhere else, and I loved the city. I especially liked the spaciousness of it. The city was full of stores, but they weren't jam-packed together and the streets weren't too loud.

"Let's go now," Max said. "I'd like to walk around the city one more time before we leave."

* * *

We walked around the city for an hour before Max spotted a 'free Wi-Fi' sign on the window of a Starbucks. We went into the store and sat down. I took out my laptop and turned it on. As I waited for it to load, I dug through my backpack to find my watch.

After I put my watch on, the login screen showed up. I entered my password and waited for my account to load. After I typed it in, Max looked over my shoulder.

"I've always wanted to use one of those," she said wistfully. I turned it around and pushed it towards her.

"Here you go. Try not to break it." She stuck her tongue out at me and set her hands on the keyboard. After a minute of staring at the keyboard, she frowned.

"How do you use this?" she asked. It hit me that she had never used a laptop before.

"What do you want to do with it?"

"I don't know, check the news?" she said, shrugging. I pulled my chair up next to hers and set my right hand on hers, which was already on the scroll pad. When my hand made contact with hers, I felt a shock go up my hand, and my whole arm began to tingle. But as weird as it was, I didn't want it to stop.

"This button," I said, pressing her finger to the left mouse button, "is used to select something."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If there's something you want to click, then move your finger on the pad to wherever the object is on screen. Then, you press the left mouse button to select it."

"Oh, ok. That makes sense."

"So the first thing we need to do is connect to the internet. Starbucks has free wireless internet, so we'll just use that." Max nodded slowly, trying to process what I said.

"Once we connect, the computer will have access to all information online. Including CNN, NBC, and every other popular news site. I'm sure those sites will have some news about your escape," I said. I told her the last part in a low voice so nobody else in the crowded shop would overhear.

"I just processed about ten percent of what you just said. Could you just show me?" she said. Max surrendering to an inanimate object? That was a first. And probably a last as well.

She wiggled her hand out of my grip. While I was lecturing Max, I completely forgot that my hand was wrapped around hers. As soon as she let go, though, my minor adrenaline rush faded. Wait, why did I get a random adrenaline rush? Could Max really influence me like that with one hand?

Damn, it sounded really pathetic when I put it that way.

Anyways, with a few efficient strokes and clicks, I was at the front page of CNN. Fortunately, nothing Max-related was in the main article. Unfortunately, there were seven articles dedicated to Max within the past week and a half. Did her parents want Max back _that_ much? People confuse me sometimes.

"Here we go," I told Max, clicking the link to the most recent article on Max. We both read through the ridiculously long article about Max's parents' 'emotional distress' and 'sleepless nights'. Yeah, right. They'd make good comedians if they kept spouting that crap to the media. She should totally turn the tables on her parents and sue _them_.

"Wow," Max said, shaking her head. "I didn't know they'd stoop this low." Despite trying to sound casual, I could sense the hurt in Max's voice. She naturally wanted to be loved, and her parents didn't give her that. She didn't even have friends, mentors, or anyone else to help her. The fact that she was still sane and stronger than ever was a true statement about her toughness. She usually tried to keep her spirits high, but she looked slightly tired and depressed right now, and I didn't blame her one bit.

"Let's just go," I suggested, hoping to get her mind off of her parents.

"Sure." By now, it was already four in the afternoon. We wouldn't have much time to run today, so I figured it might not be worth it to start. We could take off tomorrow morning.

* * *

After we walked around the city a few more times, Max was ready to crash. We walked back to our sleeping spot a mile out of town.

As we settled down to sleep, Max told me, "Your friends are awesome."

"They really are," I agreed. "I'm glad you met them."

"Me, too," she said, yawning. She took out her diary and lay down next to me. Before I could remember to ask her what she wrote about, I drifted off.

* * *

**Big thank you to my new beta, Xx-Twitch-xX for editing!**

**To keep everyone sane, I've cut down Nudge's speeches to a more reasonable length. In reality, they're two to three times longer than what I have here.**

**By the way: Dr. Amador will basically be the equivalent of Dr. Martinez. I sincerely apologize for making an OC for this role, but it was necessary. I hope this will be the last named OC I have to use. **

**Question of the Chapter: Do you guys want more visits from Fang's friends, or do you want it to be just Max and Fang?**

**If I get 15 reviews, I will update the day I get review #15. If I don't get 15 reviews within five days, I'm not continuing the story.**

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**KIDDING. I'd never do that to you guys. :P I'll update in a week tops either way. But please review! I wasn't kidding about the part about faster updates!**


	13. Chapter 13

Random Quote of the Week:

_"In my field of paper flowers, with candy clouds of lullaby, I lie inside myself for hours, and watch my purple skies fly over me." -Evanescence, in "Imaginary"_

Disclaimer: I don't own MR. James Patterson does.

* * *

**Max's POV**

In all honesty, I kind of resented Fang's friends a little. They were awesome people and amazing friends, but I craved Fang's undivided attention more than I'd like to admit. When he was with his friends, he tended to pay more attention to them than me. I had no right to complain, though. He'd known his friends for years, while he'd known me for less than two weeks. I felt really guilty about how selfish I was being. Even though we were best friends, I was not about to become a clingy, overprotective best friend. I usually acted however I wanted, but I had second thoughts about being that way around Fang. I honestly didn't know how to act around him.

"Max? You awake?" Fang called from behind me. I rolled over to look at him. He was wearing a brand new all-black outfit, courtesy of Angel. If his old jeans didn't have dirt on them, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. As far as I knew, Fang wore nothing but black t-shirts, a black jacket, and black jeans. On most people, the outfit would've looked creepy, but it really worked with Fang. I had a hard time picturing Fang wearing anything other than black.

"Yeah."

"Good, because we should get going soon. We're well-rested, so we can cover ground."

I slowly sat up and reached for my backpack. After eating and stretching, we were on our way.

Four hours and thirty miles later, we arrived at another town. Well, it wasn't officially a town, but it qualified as civilization. The small region was called Desert Center. Whatever it qualified as, it had several grocery stores and cafes. We didn't need the grocery stores quite yet, though, since we'd gotten food last week. Iggy had also generously provided us with some food, so we could last a few more days without restocking, and we still had at least two hundred fifty bucks in cash. It was a bit of a long shot, but could it last us a few months? I would have felt much better if I knew I would never have to steal again.

Fang and I walked around the city, seeing if it was worth staying in. By 'staying in', we meant sleeping in a nearby forest and heading to the city at sunrise. What else would we do, stay at a motel? We weren't freaking millionaires.

After about an hour, I decided that the city was not worth staying in. It was nicer than Blythe, but it felt an awful lot like a laboratory complex. Just the thought of staying here made me cringe. However, our dislike for the city didn't stop us from taking advantage of the air conditioning in the grocery stores. Four hours of running with the hot sun shining down on us was extremely hard work. All of the customers and employees were left to wonder why two scraggly teenagers were camped in the frozen produce section for an hour. For some reason, I doubted they believed us when we told them we were interested in buying ice cream. Thankfully, they couldn't think of a good enough reason to kick us out.

According to Fang, it was around 3:30 in the afternoon. We probably wouldn't be running much more today, unless there was a town within thirty or so miles of here.

"Hey, Fang?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your map?" He nodded and took it out. As I unfolded it, the first thing that I noticed was how small the words and lines were. I tried my best to ignore highways and roads, but it was incredibly difficult to read the city names. After a few minutes, I gave up and decided to ask Fang.

"Oh, Desert Center? It's right here," he said, pointing to a spot. I couldn't read it, but I guessed it could've resembled 'desert center'. "Cathedral City is the nearest city, but it's sixty miles away. Not gonna make it today."

"How did you just read that?"

"What do you mean? The city names are right here," he said.

"The writing is so small! How can you read it?" Fang shrugged nonchalantly. One more thing he was better at than me: reading. Great.

"Anyways, wanna check out the rest of the city and scout out the forests?" Fang asked.

"Why not," I said, hesitantly. Standing next to a freezer was getting boring, anyway. This city gave me the creeps, but Fang didn't seem to mind it as much. Fortunately, he was on board with leaving at daybreak tomorrow. I wouldn't be able to stand this place much longer.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city. At every white building we passed, all my instincts told me to get as far from the city as possible. Despite their unnerving aura, I had to admire their construction. They looked exactly how I pictured buildings thirty years in the future. Most of the office buildings were completely white on the outside, but they didn't look juvenile or slapped-together. In fact, they looked really professional. _Too_ professional.

When I saw a row of white hospital beds through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a horrifying image of Fang and I being dissected came to mind. In my image, a team of scientists in lab coats were rushing about, sticking needles in us and performing excruciating tests. It was almost as they viewed us as experiments rather than human beings. That was my worst nightmare.

The only thing keeping me from breaking loose and zipping out of there was Fang. As usual, he was calm and composed. He probably didn't have the same trypanophobia I did, but I didn't see how he wasn't bothered by the odd perfection of this city. However, I didn't want to look like a paranoid freak to him (which I probably was), so I decided to suck it up until it was over.

Finally,_ finally_, Fang suggested scouting out the forests. He said it was around 7:00, so we had a few hours left of daylight to find a place to sleep.

"I take it you don't like this city and want to leave as soon as possible?" Fang said as we neared the city limits.

"Not really. Why would you think that?" I lied. How could he know?

"You don't have to lie to me, Max. Your hands are shaking, your steps are choppy, and your breathing rate is abnormally fast." I stopped, checking if he was bluffing. Sure enough, he was spot-on. Wow. Way to go, Max.

"...we're leaving tomorrow, right?" I suggested weakly. Fang laughed softly.

"Of course. You should've told me sooner; we could've been out of here hours ago," he said. I suddenly felt bad about trying to act strong and hide my emotions in front of Fang. He was looking out for my best interests, and I was trying to act perfect. Since Fang could easily tell when I was pretending, all it did was make me feel dumb.

We walked in silence as we passed the city limits. Even outside of the city, there were houses and neighborhoods we couldn't sleep in. Sewers were always an option, but forests or clearings were ideal. They didn't smell bad, were less risky, and were not enclosed. In addition to being trypanophobic, I was claustrophobic. Based on how eager Fang was to leave the sewers whenever we slept in them, I figured he was, too.

Just then, I realized how imperfect Fang was. I'd always admired him and viewed him as an invincible hero, but he was just as human as I was, despite his mental and physical strength. Still, Fang was my best (and only) friend and my hero, in a way. I didn't want to think about where I'd be without him.

Like me, Fang resembled a time bomb. He would hide his irritation as he grew more and more annoyed, but the last straw would provoke an explosion from him. He didn't have anger issues; he was just an imperfect person like everyone else. Even if he lashed out at me, Fang would never have the heartlessness to hit me and fill my ears with condescending blabber of how useless I was, like my parents did.

_My parents._

Apparently, my biological mom was a teenage crack addict and my dad was a delinquent college student. But Valencia was the one who told me that. Was she really telling the truth? Or did she not know? I wouldn't have put it past her to feed me lies about my birth parents. Regardless, there was nothing I could've done about it. I was already born, and there was no going back. I had accepted the reality that I would not have a parental figure in my life. There was no point in causing self-inflicted pain by making wishes that wouldn't come true or reliving painful memories of the past.

"Max? Where are you going?" I turned around to see Fang standing behind me. I had been so busy thinking that I forgot to look out for a place to sleep. Fortunately, Fang managed to find one without me. We were standing in a good-sized forest in someone's backyard. It was risky, but our only other viable option was the sewer. This forest had plenty of bushes, trees, and tall grass for us to sleep without having to worry about being caught. I actually liked it a lot. It would've been a great place for Navy SEAL training with all the dangling branches and such.

"Sorry. Yeah, this place looks good." I wasn't sure how a forest like this could be so close to a laboratory complex like Desert Center. Two odd locations, one which drove me crazy, one which made me feel at home. Both within a mile of each other.

We sat down on a small log, mere inches from each other, and ate dinner. While I ate, I couldn't help noticing Fang's leg pressed against mine. As much as I was trying to push the thoughts out of my mind, they kept coming back. How could hot guys do that to girls and expect them to not freak out? Fang was just my friend, but I was still a hormonal teenage girl. Some things couldn't be helped.

I realized this wasn't the first time something like this has happened. Several nights ago, Fang lay next to me while we stargazed. The result of that: me grabbing his hand and pulling myself into him. Yeah. Not so great. I didn't want to risk it again, so I figured the best option was to not get myself into a situation like that in the first place. Since we slept together at night, the only thing keeping me under control was my tiredness. And I'm sure I was freaking out in my sleep.

I got up slowly, carefully not spilling my half-eaten can of pre-cooked rice.

"Max? Where are you going?" Fang asked me.

"Um, getting water."

"Your bag is right here." Damn it, Fang, why did you have to be so logical?

"Oh, right!" I said hastily, sitting back down. There it was again. That horrible feeling. I tried my best to scoot away from him, but there was a thorn bush to my left, so I made no progress.

"Max? What's wrong?" Fang said, frowning.

"Nothing!" I answered, way too quickly. He just stared at me. "Okay, fine. I don't like the city, that's all."

"That's a lie, and we both know it. You don't have to lie to me. I won't judge you." Oh, yes, you will. He may not judge me on my architectural tastes, but what would he say if I told him, _Oh yeah, my leg feels like hyperactive jelly whenever it touches yours._

"Fang, just let it go. It's nothing, really."

"Fine," he said, clearly not wanting to let it go.. I got back to eating my dinner, but once again I couldn't focus on it. Really, what was going on with me? Eating the can of rice probably took around five minutes, but it felt like an hour. I felt several drops of sweat bead up on my forehead as I ate.

After we finally finished, my adrenaline rush faded. The burst of energy I received had abandoned me, so I finally realized how tired I was. I'd done my share of freaking out today, and it had been a real energy-drainer.

Fang and I lay down together in a small, enclosed area between a row of bushes and a tall pine tree. We were pressed together rather tightly, and my heart was practically beating out of my chest. I knew what I had to do. I wiggled myself from out of between Fang and the tree and lay down on the opposite side of the bushes.

"Max? Where are you going?"

"It's just a hot night." Lie. It actually was really cool. "I'm going to sleep over here." Fang looked at me strangely, but didn't press. He was probably all too used to dealing with rabid teenage girls back in Phoenix.

I cleared out the area and lay down. I took out my diary and began to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_Well, today sucked. Between the creepy city and my...minor breakdowns, I'm as scared as I've ever been since running away. _

_Something's happening to me, that's for sure. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing._

_Love,_

_Max_

Short and sweet. I closed the book and curled up to sleep. I'm sure you could guess what was on my mind as I drifted off.

* * *

Question of the Chapter: Who are your rooting for in the World Cup Final, if you're watching?

My Response: Argentina!

I'm going to be out of town for the next week or so, so I probably won't be able to update. I'll try to get you guys a chapter ASAP though!


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